It's the little things that count
by I.wish.I.could.be.Number.Five
Summary: So we all know the Garde are dedicating their lives to defeat the mogs and take back Lorien. But what happens in the few times of peace? And what will happen when they eventually do return to Lorien? Basically one-shots of the few happy moments the Garde experience during the fight against the mogs and then afterwards when they've won the war. Linked to my other story.
1. Phobias

Disclaimer: I don't own the Lorien Legacies...

Hi guys!

All right, here it is: the one shot story. Basically some will be really short and others will be long, it just depends on how i feel. Updates _should _be every week because this is only a side story. Obviously my other story is a bigger priority as well as exams.

**Anyway, this particular one-shot takes place after the Garde have won the war but are still on Earth.**

Personally, I sort of hope in the actual series they stay on Earth instead of going to Lorien because I think they won't fit in as well, especially Nine. The Loric are supposed to be peaceful and stuff but I don't think the Garde will be able to cope with that after growing up the way they did.

Also update for 'The Return of Lorien' will be tommorrow :)

So, i hope you enjoy.

* * *

Nine

"I am _not_ getting in there!"

I shake my wet hair out of my eyes and watch Five as she hastily pulls her toe out from the water. I snort and roll my eyes.

"Oh come on. It's not that bad" I reason as she clings to the rail attached to a set of steps. She _hates_ getting in deep water so I of course persuaded her to have a swimming lesson with me.

For some reason, she doubts my skills as a patient teacher.

"It's all right for you. You're a giant; you can touch the floor! I'm miniature!" she exclaims, a note of hysteria in her voice. I know what it's like to be scared but sometimes you have to face your fears.

"I won't let you drown" I say gently, reaching the metal ladder by the side of the pool. She backs off a bit and narrows her eyes, probably assuming I'm about to drag her in.

Which was sounding like a pretty good idea.

She sighs and crosses her arms, a frown on her face. We're at a local pool and I see kids splashing over in the corner, their laughs echoing around the room. Marina and Eight are swimming lazily in the deep end whilst John and Six are making out on the steps nearby. Typical. I'm surprised no one's told them to calm down a bit; there are kids nearby.

"Come on. It'll be fun" I persuade, trying to pull my best 'i'm-so-innocent' face. She sighs again, looking like she might consider it, but then shakes her head.

"I'm sorry but-" she begins moving away from the steps. This was also the exact time a small kid barrels down the side of the pool, eager to get to the diving boards. The kid knocks into Five, who doesn't move out of the way fast enough, and she slips on the wet floor. She splashes into the water with a shriek, her arms waving madly.

I quickly swim over to her and grab her before she begins to make a scene. The last thing I need is a lifeguard questioning me about why i'm drowning someone. She splutters and swears madly under her breath, as I wrap my arm around her, treading water to keep us above water. She clings to me, shaking from fear and cold. The kid looks on a shocked expression on his face and then he turns to run off. If Five weren't so scared and dependant on me right now, I would so give him a talking to.

You simply don't push girls over. It's rude.

"Get me out of here!" she exclaims, desperately trying to get to the side. I push off against the wall and we begin to move to the centre of the pool. Her breathing increases and she clenches her jaw. I know this is upsetting her but she does need to learn and the others are too occupied to offer. Also, I get a great bonus of spending time with a hot girl in a bikini.

Everyone wins.

"I swear to god Nine-" she begins to threaten but I shake my head and let go of her, smirking. She shrieks quietly and grabs a hold of me before she can go under.

"Stop it!" she cries, tears beginning to form in her eyes. She looks truly terrified and I stop smirking, tightening my arms around her. She must know I won't let anything happen to her, that I was only teasing.

"It's all right. This is just a learning experience" I try and soothe but she looks too upset.

"I just want to get out" she says, her voice small and plaintive. I begin to reconsider but she needs to learn how to swim. It's essential.

"Relax. Everything's fine" I say, a soft smile on my face. Her nails are digging into my arms and her breathing is rapid.

"Please get me out of here" she begs once more, tears now streaming down her face.

Shit. She really is freaked.

"I promise I won't let anything happen. Look, my feet can touch the bottom. See?" I say, trying to reassure her now. I'm not that great at it so I'm surprised when she begins to calm down a bit. She looks down and sees that i'm standing, not just floating. She sniffs and looks back up at me.

"And i'll perform CPR if you drown. I've had practice" I say. Despite herself, she snorts.

"I'm sort of hoping we won't get to that point" she mutters nervously. Her grip is still tight on my arms and I realise for the first time how close we are to each other. My skin is tingling where hers touches mine and I swallow nervously, trying not to focus on how great she looks in her black bikini.

"It'll be fun" I persuade her. She sighs and then nods.

"Fine. But if you abandon me in the middle of the pool and call it 'learning experience' I'll kill you" she warns. I'm not entirely sure if she's joking.

"Deal" I agree.

Xxx

"I told you I was a good teacher" I say, a smug smile on my face as Five slowly swims to me. I'm sitting on the steps, the water lapping around my chest, whilst she's been swimming lengths. We've been practising all week and she's a fast learner, despite her fear. Her years of training have made her naturally strong and fast; applying it to swimming was easy.

She reaches me and then grabs me, still a little nervous. I smile, needing no excuse to hold her, and pull her to me, wrapping my arms around her slim figure. We are sort of a couple but it's not official. We just realised that there's no one else for us so we might as well get together. Whihc is more than fien with me.

She smiles and then leans into me, her head resting on my shoulder, nuzzling her face into my neck. Her breath feels warm against my wet skin; it's comforting. I look around to see if anyone's watching but the pool is pretty empty; it's lunchtime after all.

"Thank you" she says quietly, kissing my neck and sending shivers around my body. I smile and rest my cheek on her hair, closing my eyes. I'm overwhelmed by this private moment, this perfect peace inside of me. This is just me and her; no distractions, nothing.

"So any fears that you'd like to share with me?" Five teases, pulling away. I miss the warmth of her already, even though she's still firmly in my arms. I just enjoy holding her as close as possible.

"Yeah, I have an intense fear of spiders" I say seriously. Five clearly thinks i'm joking and bursts into laughter. I sit there awkwardly.

"No but seriously. What are you scared of?" she asks me, after calming down. I sigh and look away.

"Spiders" I repeat. Her jaw drops open as I lock eyes with her.

"Oh my god, you were serious" she says, looking shocked. I flush but don't look away.

"I bared my soul about my deep phobia of spiders and you laughed" I accuse, a touch of hurt in my voice. She stops smiling and takes my hand.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-" she apologises but I cut her off. I lean forward and kiss her, having wanted to do that for the past couple of minutes. She kisses back and wraps her arms around my neck, moving closer.

"It's ok. You can make it up to me" I reply, pulling back. She grins and brushes some hair out of my face. I lean in for another kiss but she pulls back, swimming away slightly.

"Oh no. I _have_ to know how you got that phobia before you get any more kisses" she taunts, a wicked grin on her face. I bet she's going to tell John now.

God help me.

"I don't know. I just know that every time I see one, I freak out" I reply, shrugging. She laughs and floats on her back in a starfish shape.

"So you have no justifiable fear like me. I can't believe you took the piss out of me" she says, still giggling. I groan and hit my face with my hand. Why did I tell her?

"Spiders are terrifying. How can you say they're not?" I retort, beginning to swim to her. She grins and closes her eyes, still floating.

I grin wickedly and take advantage of the situation. I duck under the water and using superspeed, swim until I'm directly next to her. Then I jump out of the water.

Her reaction is awesome. She shrieks and begins flailing around, still crying out. She breathes in water and then starts to cough desperately, while still thrashing around. I'm red with laughter; clutching my side and my cheeks hurt. She finally calms down a bit and then glares at me, her arms crossed as her feet touch the ground.

"Damn you! You are so going to regret that!" she hisses but I can see humour in her eyes. She begins to laugh, seeing the funny side of my prank.

Which is why I don't take her very real threat seriously.

xxx

I lie on my bed, my earphones blaring music loudly and my eyes closed. I'm blocking out all the memories of today and trying to forget everything. All this political shit is giving me a headache. I don't understand the US Government's problem. We won the war, we want our ships to get to Lorien. Yet they continue to persuade us to stay and refuse to give us our ships back until we reach a compromise.

I'm so close to just stealing the ships. Screw the consequences.

I hear a noise and instinctively I fly up from my bed. Five stares back at me shocked as I rip my earphones out, my heart pouding. After years of fighting I had assumed she was a mog even though they're defeated. I grin and lie back down, switching my Ipod off.

"Sorry" she says sheepishly, closing the door and then sitting next to me. I shrug and she smiles sweetly down at me. I notice how good she looks in her ratty t-shirt and shorts that serves as her pyjamas. Since we won the war she's put on some weight, due to less exercise and more food. She looks great with more weight and I don't fail to tell her this (which she secretly loves though she'll never admit it). She's self-conscious and thinks she's fat but she's not. I suppose everyone has a weak point and confidence over her looks is hers.

"What are you doing here?" I ask. She smirks and looks away.

"John and Six were... um, they were busy" she says blushing. "They don't seem to realise i'm next door" she says. I laugh at her embarassment and shake my head. We've all got our own separate rooms in this Government housing but poor Five got the short straw and ended up next to both John and Six's rooms.

"Well you can always stay the night" I say, a suggestive smirk on my face. She laughs and hits my arm.

"It's gonna take a lot more than that" she answers back and I laugh. I was only teasing and she knows it.

She reaches out and brushes my hair back, her hand lingering a moment longer than necessary. Before I can even think about that, she leans down and kisses me, surprising me. She doesn't usually start things but hey, i'm not complaining. I kiss her back eagerly pulling her closer to me. I'm really getting into things when I feel this tickling sensation in my hair where she touched me. I try to distract myself with Five but it's not working. It's bugging me and I wonder what's going on.

Suddenly something crawls on my face and I pull back from Five, putting a hand to my forehead. I pull it away to see a huge spider on my hand.

I react without thinking.

I shriek loudly like a little girl and wave my hand desperately. Five is doubling over with laughter as the spider falls onto the bed and I leap up onto the ceiling, trying to get as far away as possible. My breathing has picked up and I have a feeling I'm really pale. Five laughs and scoops up the spider, waving it up towards me. I answer by backing away more.

"Aww, he was being friendly" she teases, her eyes alight with mischief. I glare down at her and back away more.

"Keep that _thing _away from me" I demand, my hands shaking. She laughs but goes to the window and places it gently outside. I slowly venture down from the wall when I'm sure it's gone. Five turns around with a smug smile and grins at me, her hands on her hips.

"It was a learning experience" she teases, quoting my words from last week. I groan and hit my head.

Damn her.

* * *

So I hope you enjoyed this. I enjoyed writing these two; I just love them so much.

Anyway, please I need some more ideas so please please give me some.

And please review :D


	2. Insecurities

Disclaimer: I don't own Lorien Legacies...

Hi guys!

Wow, what an absolutely incredible response to the first chapter! I can't believe I got so many reviews and a _huge_ thanks to everyone who showed their support. I really really appreciate it so much and I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Ok, this is a Marina/Eight one-shot (because I lovethem) but the next one will be Six/Four. I still need ideas and any are welcome. A huge thanks to those who have already given me some but I would love some more.

BTW this story isn't in any order, it's just one-shots of whatever springs to mind so they may be a bit random at times.

***This chapter takes place after the war but they're still on Earth***

So, read on...

* * *

Marina

There are a lot of things I love about Eight: his playfulness, strength, kindness... I could go on for hours.

But there is one thing that bugs me _so_ much. His naivety.

I mean I _know_ he grew up by himself and I _understand_ that he's not as socially aware as someone like John, who has spent a lot of time around humans. But even Eight has got to realise when he is being chatted up by a girl. And a pretty girl at that.

We're sitting on a grass bank along Lake Michigan. One of the great things about the end of the war is how free we can be now. Once the Government finally began to cooperate with us, everything became so much better. And now, we're like citizens. Well, even more than that; anything we want we can have because we saved Earth.

To my left, John and Six are making out, rolling all over the grass. They're so openly in love that it can be sickening; I prefer to hide my feelings from the general public. Nine and Five are training, _of course, _running along the path. They hate the fact that we don't have to train anymore so they decided to keep up the running and fighting anyway. Just in case.

Eight was supposed to go buy some ice-creams but he got chatting to a girl in the long queue, whilst I watch on jealously. I know he loves me more than anything else but still. He just looks so animated and I can feel my fists clench.

"He can be an idiot at times" Ella says next to me, following my eye line. Three is lounging nearby and he blushes whenever she talks, even though most of the time it's not directed to him. The crush those two have on each other is insanely huge but they're not going out just yet. I can be a little protective over Ella at times so I think Three's a bit scared of me.

I smile and nod, lying back on the grass. I can still hear Eight laughing away with the girl but it doesn't upset me. Just frustrates me that he really has no clue.

"It's a lovely day isn't it" I say, looking up at the perfect blue sky. It's deliciously warm and I'm only wearing a tank top and shorts. I've already suntanned even though I've only been here for an hour. I have naturally tanned skin anyway so the sun is just giving it a boost.

"Beautiful" Ella agrees, lying down next to me. She's grown up a lot since the end of the war. She's taller now (much to Five's great annoyance since she's now the shortest) and her hair has grown out into a more sophisticated style. She's looking more like a teenager than a little girl now, which makes me proud but yet sad at the same time. I feel like she's grown up too quickly.

I look back over to Eight and see the girl flick her perfect blonde hair back with a smile. She playfully touches Eight's arm and I roll my eyes. So what if he has impressive muscles?

Ok, there's no point in lying anymore: I'm so jealous.

"Hey guys" Nine appears, out of breath and sweating. I wrinkle my nose but smile at him anyway. Five is next to him but manages to look a lot more collected. But then she did train in Rio which is more humid so she's probably used to it more.

"Looks like Eight's preoccupied" Five notes, nodding towards Eight. He's _finally_ getting the ice-creams but the girl is still there, still flirting away.

"He's clueless" I say to which Nine laughs. He looks back at the girl.

"But she is hot, you can't blame him" he says bluntly. Five hits his arm and I grin.

"So what? She has no personality. Her brain is like a vacuum; nothing in it" Five retorts. Nine shrugs.

"Guys don't care about personalities when they get to make out with a hot girl" he replies. I laugh and sit up, wrapping my arms around my knees.

"And here I always thought you were so deep Nine. Always wanting to make an emotional connection with a girl before making out with her" I say sarcastically. He grins and rolls his eyes.

"Funny. Anyway, you wanna carry on?" he says to Five who grins back at him.

"You mean you ready to be beaten again?" she taunts as they turn back to the path. They continue to argue as they run along the lake and I shake my head, Ella laughing next to me.

"Here you go" I look up and see Eight approaching with the food. I smile and sit up happily, looking forward to the ice-cream and the fact he's with me now. I eagerly take it from it, quickly making a start on it. He chuckles and settles down next to me.

"Impatient" he says grinning. I roll my eyes as Ella takes a bite out of her ice-cream.

"You took a while" I say, a small edge in my voice. His eyebrow raises and he looks at me slightly confused.

"Well, Laura was funny. And the queue was long" he says, looking back at the ice-cream van. _Laura's_ just finished paying up and she waves to Eight as she goes to join her two other friends. He grins back and I hear her friends giggling amongst themselves and whispering stuff like 'he's so hot!' or 'he was so interested in you'. That last one makes me scowl.

"Hey what's wrong?" he asks, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. I look up and smile at him, trying to dismiss my issues.

"Nothing, I-" I begin to say but Ella interrupts me with a grin.

"She was jealous because you were talking to that girl over there" she says bluntly. My mouth drops open and my cheeks flood with heat, giving me away. Eight laughs and then shakes his head.

"She was only being friendly" he says, taking another lick from his ice-cream. I sigh and shrug.

"She was all over you" I say sullenly. He laughs again and then nuzzles his face in my neck, kissing the skin there. It sends delicious shivers all through my body.

"So what? She has nothing on you" he says, an absent thought but it makes me smile all the same.

"And she was funny and playful. I'm not like that" I say. That's always been my one constant issue when being with Eight: my seriousness. I may tease him sometimes but I'll never be as light-hearted as Eight or Six when they're messing around. I'll always be the calm, serious Marina and I dread as to whether it will eventually put Eight off.

He sighs and looks up at my face, smiling at me tenderly.

"I don't want someone like that. I don't want you to change, so stop worrying. _I_ think you're perfect" he says. Before I can reply, he leans down and kisses me.

And wow, what a kiss. It's not a light playful one; it's a deep intense kiss, one that sets my nerves on fire and makes my heart pound erratically. As we kiss I forget all thoughts of Laura and my worries. From his kiss I can tell how much he loves me and how much he really doesn't care about any other girl. I'm all that matters to him.

We eventually pull apart and I can't help but look over to Laura and her friends. She's not looking but I can sense the angry thoughts. Ha, now she's the jealous one. Eight grins at my smug look and then leans down, kissing my shoulder.

"You look really nice by the way" he muses, his lips dancing along my skin sending shivers through me. I blush and smile at him, as I begin to finish off my ice-cream before it drips everywhere.

"I don't know" I say, pretending to be sad. "I think Laura looks so much nicer than me" I continue, sighing dramatically. He laughs and then leans forward to me again.

"You just want another kiss" he accuses. I grin playfully at him and almost close the distance between us.

"Never" I declare, my lips millimetres from his. He smiles and then leans down, ending all conversation with a kiss.

Xxx

Earlier I said Eight's biggest weakness was his naivety. I know what mine is: insecurity.

I'm so insecure about myself sometimes. I mean, I'm so much more comfortable in my own skin now but there are still times when I feel worried and unsure. For example, the time with Laura in the park.

I stand in front of the mirror, a huge frown on my face. It's just not _fair._

I've put on weight ever since we won the war. I'm not fat but i'm definitely not as thin as I used to be. The skinny jeans that used to show off my long legs are now not working. I can't do them up.

I sigh and turn to the side, looking at my stomach. Huh. Still flat, just a little wider than before. I don't have any signs of cellulite on my legs and I _seem_ toned.

I'm still fat though.

"Argh!" I cry in frustration, ripping the jeans off. It's a girl's natural instinct to freak out whenever you put on weight even if you're still slim. I don't know what it is but I saw it loads of times at the orphanage and it's happening to me now.

I pull on a huge jumper and then a pair of loose pyjama pants. No more tight tops or skinny jeans until I've lost those couple of pounds. I scowl at myself, resigning myself to the fact that I won't be able to have any more of Nine's amazing pancakes for breakfast.

I strop out into the living room and see Six sat on the couch, flicking through a magazine. There's a picture of a celebrity on the front, posing in a tiny bikini. It's like everything knows i'm self-conscious and will now flaunt weight issues in my face.

"Hey" Six says absently and then has a double-take when she sees me. I huff and go to the fridge, grabbing an apple. Why not start the diet now?

"Hey" I grumble back, flopping onto the couch. She puts the magazine down and stares at me confused.

"What's wrong?" she asks. Just now, John walks into the room and sits down next to her. They wrap their arms around each other at once and I'm tempted to run. The kissing will start any minute, i'm sure.

"I'm fat" I say sullenly. Six stops looking adoringly into John's eyes and stares at me, shocked.

"Um, what?!" she asks, suppressed laughter in her voice. I sigh again and curl up on the sofa.

"I've put on weight" I repeat. She openly laughs now and shakes her head.

"So because you've put on a couple of pounds you're now fat" she says. I nod, relieved she understands.

"So any ideas on how to lose it?" I ask, flicking through another magazine to the diet section. Hmm, the 100 squats a day challenge... has potential. Definitely will do the sit-ups test because I need to lose weight around my stomach.

"Marina! I was joking" Six says, shaking her head. John is too immersed in kissing her neck to really pay attention to the conversation but I see him nod along slightly.

"You're not fat!" she continues. I sigh.

"I know you're trying to reassure me but I know I am. I've put on 5 pounds" I explain. "I know you don't have to worry about that sort of thing but I do" I say sadly. Six snorts and shakes her head.

"Mar, you're being mad. You weigh less than me!" she says but i'm not listening. I'm going to go and try out some of these exercise tips. Hopefully, I'll lose it in two weeks like it says.

"See you later" I call over my shoulder as I head to my room.

Time to get the 'perfect pins'.

Xxx

"What are you doing?"

I lie on my back on the floor, my stomach and legs in agony. The challenges were excruciating because I decided that since I was Loric, I could do more than 100.

Which means I now can't move.

"Dying" I moan. Eight leans over me, an amused smile on his face.

"Why are you dying?" He says, crouching down next to me.

I weakly point to the stupid magazine lying on the floor next to me. "It's the squat and sit-up challenge" I explain, trying not to moan. I _hate_ exercise. Surely there's got to be a better way to lose weight?

"And why are you doing that?" Eight asks, a grin on his face. He seems to find this all very amusing but my pain is very real and very bad.

"Because I'm fat" I complain. "But it's not worth the pain. I'm sorry Eight but you're going to have to find a new girlfriend if you want a thin one" I say, half joking. He shakes his head and lifts me onto the bed, where I promptly collapse.

"You're not fat" he says, chuckling slightly.

"I don't even care, to be honest. I am never doing that again" I say, my hand on my face. He laughs and takes my hand.

"So what? You put on a bit of weight. So has Six and Five... in fact pretty much all of us. Bet you didn't notice that" he says. I look at him surprised.

"You've put on weight too?" I ask hesitantly. He nods, laughing.

"Yep. But you don't care... hell, you haven't even noticed. And I don't mind either about you putting weight on. To be honest, you've still got an amazing body" he reassures me. I raise my eyebrow.

"I do? But my stomach is bigger and my legs are-" I ramble but he leans down and kisses me quickly.

"Marina, when someone tries to give you a compliment you usually accept it" he says, his lips millimetres from mine. I look at him entranced and nod.

"Ok, won't do it again. Promise... But-" I say but he shakes his head.

"Marina?" he asks, pressing our bodies close together, making my body melt at his touch.

"Yes" I reply breathlessly as his lips travel down my neck.

"Please stop talking" he asks, bringing his lips back to mine.

I do as he says and kiss him back.

* * *

So, I hope you enjoyed. Each of the one-shots tries to have a theme and this one was about personal issues and insecurities.

Anyway, please review!


	3. Drunk

Disclaimer: I don't own Lorien Legacies...

Hi guys!

Thank you all so much for your reviews to this story and to my other one! I'm glad you enjoy these one-shots and I'm really grateful for all the reviews.

I've been asked a couple of times to do a Six/Sam one-shot so I will definitely try and do one. It may not be as good because I'm not really used to writing Sam in a romantic way but I will definitely try.

I would love some more suggestions!

Also, this chapter is a huge shout out to DarkseidShrike, who has helped me a lot with these one-shots.

Please read on...

**BTW they're at a club for this scene since they're trying to do human things.**

* * *

Six

"Can I buy you a drink?" I turn and see John standing in front of me, an amused smirk on his face. I see desire in his eyes as he notices my dress and I'm thrilled that I don't blush. I toss my hair back confidently and smile at him.

"Of course" I reply. He grins and stands next to me, an arm wrapping around my waist, his thumb stroking my hip. Despite there being fabric in the way, I can still feel the heat from his touch and I shiver.

He quickly orders the drinks and I take my glass, sipping on the cold cocktail. I see Marina and Eight amongst the crowd, slow-dancing to the music. They're not the only ones dancing; in fact they're pretty tame compared to some, which is saying a lot since they're pressed right up to each other. I did tell Marina that she looked good in the dress but she didn't believe me.

I can also see Five and Nine are sitting in a booth, both drinking and flirting with each other. Nine's appreciating her wearing heels for the occasion; I also told her she'd look better with them though the fight to get her to wear them was crazy.

"You enjoying yourself?" John's lips brush against my neck and I shiver again, the alcohol making me even more acutely aware of him than before. I smile enticingly at him, trying to remain in control.

"Well, I would if someone hadn't abandoned me in the middle of the dance floor" I say, grinning at him. He laughs and pulls me close to him, our bodies pressing close together. The whole atmosphere of this place makes everything mysterious and enticing; it's magical here.

"I'm sorry, I was dragged away by another woman and she was scary" he says, referring to the cougar in leopard print that had had her eye on him. I laugh and flick my hair slightly, making him gulp.

"You could always make it up to me" I say, motioning towards the dance floor. He grins and takes my hand, pulling me through the moving couples until we have a tiny bit of space. The lack of real room means we have to press right up to each other which isn't a problem for us.

His hands go to my hips whilst I twirl mine around his neck, our bodies moving to the music. The heat builds up on the floor and soon a light layer of sweat covers our skin and sticks my hair to the back of my neck. Usually this would bother me but it seems to fit in with the moment.

John leans down and kisses me, a deep and passionate kiss promising so much. I moan and press closer; I think the alcohol is making me bolder, though I never need much to want John. He pulls back and places smouldering kisses down my neck, making me gasp. He pulls away with a smug smile and I miss the contact. We're still dancing to the music, our bodies moving in time to the beat.

"Do you like my dress?" I ask, doing a little twirl for him before returning to his arms. He smiles and nods happily, though his eyes darken a little with desire.

"A lot. You're easily the sexiest here" he says, making me blush.

"Behave, we're in public" I reprimand, although I lean forward and kiss him afterwards, rendering my comment useless.

I don't know how long we kiss for or how long we dance for, but it's an endless phase of dancing and kissing. I feel like I'm in a different universe in this club, one that's alien but magical. Here, it's ok to slow dance intimately; no one cares, in fact everyone else is doing it. I don't feel embarrassed or ashamed. It's just John and I and the music.

Eventually we move away to go get another drink and join the others. Marina and Eight are sitting down at the booth with Five and Nine. I head over there whilst John gets the drinks. I feel like a spell's been broken the minute I leave him and I feel empty. It's like the out-of-world atmosphere has gone now and shown its true colours. I'm sure once John comes back that will change again.

"Having fun?" Marina asks over the music. It's quieter here and you don't have to shout to be heard. I nod and take the seat next to her.

"It's amazing!" I yell back. She grins and laughs as Eight plants kisses down her throat. We've all had quite a bit to drink; we're more confident and our inhabitations have gone now. Five is still steadily drinking but doesn't seem too affected yet.

John comes back with some shots and I grin, straightening up. Nine cheers and Five laughs at him, hitting his arm. John sets the glasses down and I pass them out to each of us. We each take one, grinning.

"One, two, three!" Nine announces and we all down the liquid. It burns my throat and I struggle to swallow but I do, trying to keep a straight face. Both Marina and Eight look disgusted whilst Five is giggling. I have a feeling she's going to get _very_ drunk tonight.

"Ugh, that was disgusting" John complains, wiping his mouth and gulping some of Nine's drink. All of a sudden I admire John and his rugged looks and his strong muscles. I don't know whether it's the alcohol suddenly talking or whether it's been building up ever since we danced, but I want him. I want him so bad it hurts.

I pull him to me and kiss him desperately, our lips hot and fierce against each other. His hands clasp my hips and pull me closer, understanding my need for him. He feels the same. Our intensity increases if possible when I feel someone shove my stool and I almost fall off, if John didn't grab me. I look up to see a drunken pair of woman try to apologise and then head to the toilets, failing miserably at both. I laugh and then turn back to John.

"I think it's time to go home" I say seductively in his ear. He knows exactly what I mean and jumps up, grabbing a hold of my hand. Nine wolf-whistles whilst Marina giggles.

"Have fun!" Nine says, downing the rest of his drink. I nod and grin cheekily at him.

"Oh I will" I reply to which he laughs. I pull John out of the club and into the cold air outside. He pulls me close as we wait on the curb for a taxi, our bodies pressed together for warmth and need. I pull him down to my height to kiss him again and his hands grip my waist tightly, making me melt with want.

We're disturbed by a beep and I pull away annoyed until I see it's a taxi. We stumble over to it, both of us giggling and eager to get home. We pile in and John pulls me to him, me practically on his lap.

"John Hancock Centre" John says, before I lean up to kiss him again. The guy speeds off, probably wanting to get rid of us as soon as possible.

That's just what we want too.

"I hope you're ready John Smith" I slur slightly, my lips against his throat. He laughs and pulls my face up to his, a cheeky grin on his face.

His answer is clear enough with the next kiss.

Xxx

Five

When I wake up my head is pounding and my mouth as dry as a desert. My stomach's rolling and I feel absolutely terrible. I'm in the full throes of a hangover.

I am _never_ drinking again.

I groan and open my eyes, but shut them almost immediately. The sun streaming through the windows sent a sharp pain through my skull. I try to assess my surroundings without opening my eyes.

I'm lying face down in bed, the sheets tangled around me. I'm still wearing the clothes from last night which is making me very uncomfortable; they're not comfy at all. At least the awful heels have gone but I can still feel the blisters.

I prop myself up and groan again at the pain in my head. I need painkillers. Or Marina. Then I will go back to sleep. I slowly climb out of bed and catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror.

Oh. My. God.

If I thought I felt terrible, I look even worse. My make-up is smudged all over my face and my hair looks like something crawled in there and died. My clothes are rumpled and have some vomit on them, making them smell.

What did I _do_ last night?

I stumble to the bathroom and peel my clothes off at once, pulling on a huge shirt of Nine's and some leggings. Much better. I quickly clean my face up and try to sort my hair out. I give up at once at that attempt; it's determined to conspire against me this morning.

I walk out of the bathroom, my head still pounding, and make my way to the kitchen. Marina and Eight are there, sitting at the breakfast bar drinking coffee, whilst Nine is in the corner making a fresh batch. I slowly climb up onto a stall and rest my head against the cold surface. Marina giggles.

"How you feeling?" Eight asks cheekily. I groan as a reply and he laughs. It hurts my head.

"Now that's why you don't go overboard with alcohol" he replies. I don't have the energy to even swear at him so I just groan again.

"Hey go easy on her, she's not well" Nine says, coming up behind me and wrapping his arms around my shoulder. I lean back into him, appreciating the warmth, and then accept the coffee he hands me as well as the two painkillers.

"I'm never drinking again" I say, swallowing the pills. Marina laughs and takes a bite out of her pancakes. Hm, thick pancakes covered in maple syrup sounds great right now. I turn around and look pleadingly at Nine since he makes them just how I like it.

"Please can I have some?" I ask sweetly and trying to be more pathetic than I am. He rolls his eyes but nods, ruffling my hair. It can't get much worse right now so I don't even complain.

"Only because you asked nicely" he replies grinning. He can't resist me when I pull out my puppy-dog eyes and he knows I know that. I turn back to Eight and Marina my head still pounding. The pills aren't having any effect at all and I'm tempted to just fall asleep right now.

"Oh, all right then" Marina sighs, reaching out to take my hand. I light up as Nine and Eight look on confused. I had hoped she'd heal me but she might have considered this a lesson I need to learn.

At once the icy feeling fills me and my nausea increases for a second, until all my pain disappears. I sigh in relief at once as my head clears, smiling at Marina gratefully. I quickly turn to Nine and flutter my eyelashes.

"Can I still have my pancakes?" I ask him quickly. He laughs and nods, turning back to the pan. I grin at Marina as she rolls her eyes and takes a sip of coffee.

"Where are John and Six?" I ask, looking around. They usually come and join us for breakfast.

"Still asleep. They were, um, busy last night" Eight says, an uncomfortable look on his face. I understand completely. It's perfectly fine that Six and John have reached that level in their relationship but it's making the rest of us feel awkward. I feel like I should be ready because Six is but i'm not and I know Marina feels the same. I'm really happy with where i'm at with Nine at the moment; I don't need it to change.

I gather my courage and then take a deep breath. "What happened last night?" I ask in a small voice. I'm sure something happened but I can't remember a thing.

"Ah, you're experiencing temporary memory loss. The free gift at the end of a vodka bottle" Nine says, causing Marina and Eight to laugh. I smile but then turn serious.

"Well..." Marina begins, an amused look on her face. "You challenged a couple of regulars to a shot drinking contest which you lost; it was pretty funny. Then you started dancing on the table and at that point we decided to get you out" she says. I flush and put my head in my hands.

"Good timing too... you threw up in the alley next to the club like two minutes afterwards" Eight finishes off, a smirk on his face. I groan and place my head on the counter again.

"Do...do the others know?" I ask, referring to Adam and Sam. Nine laughs.

"Oh yeah. We recorded the whole thing on my phone and then we showed them" he replies. I jump up.

"Delete it! Now!" I exclaim, still red in the face.

"Aww, but you looked so cute" he teases, coming over with my food. It looks so tempting and he's pulling that face he knows I can't resist. I pout and sit back down on my stool, whilst he sets the food in front of me. He drags another stool over and joins us, knowing he's won the fight over the video.

For now.

"So did you two have fun last night?" I ask Eight as I eat my food. Nine grabs a fork and picks at it as well and I lightly slap his hand. He grins and kisses me on the cheek in return, making my heart lift. He always has this affect on me.

"Yeah it was fun at first. But after you became a drunken wreck, we had to leave with you" Marina says, finishing off her coffee.

I continue eating the food; it's sort of developing into a fight between Nine and I of who can eat the most. He's winning of course, he has a huge appetite.

"Anyway, we're going for a jog so we'll see you later" Eight says, standing up. Marina joins him and they leave at once seeing as they're already dressed for exercise. Once they're gone, Nine wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me and my stool closer to him.

I spear some pancake onto my fork and offer it to him. He leans down and is about to eat it when I pull it away and pop it into my mouth. I grin at his expression of shock which soon turns to humour.

"I'm glad you feel better" he says, his voice low in my ear. I shiver as his breath brushes my neck.

"Thanks. Was I really bad last night?" I ask, my voice small. I really want to know what I did last night, though I'm sure it's bad. He laughs and nuzzles my neck.

"Nah, you're a cute drunk. You giggle a lot" he says, smiling against my skin. I laugh and finish the food.

"I am never drinking again" I vow. He laughs and shakes his head.

"I'll believe that when I see it" he replies, not believing me at all.

He was totally right to doubt me.

* * *

So a little bit of naughtiness from Six and John.

Anyway, hope you enjoy and please review!


	4. Comic Con

Disclaimer: I don't own Lorien Legacies...

Hi guys!

A huge thank you for all the reviews! You guys are as lovely as ever and very supportive.

Secondly, this is the Sam/Six one-shot you guys asked for. Since in my other story, John and Six end up together, this is only a one off. This is what would have happened if the pairings were Sam/Six and Four/Sarah and it happens after the war.

If you guys have any other couples you want there to be a romance for, just say. I actually found this one-shot very fun to write (despite my doubts) so I'm open to any suggestions. I might even do another Sam/Six one-shot.

So read on and hopefully enjoy!

* * *

Six

"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!" Sam squeals next to me. He's so excited, his superman cape is all twisted around him as he fidgets around. "This is so _awesome!" _

"I can't believe you made me wear this" I grumble, fiddling with my own costume and ignoring his excitement. I didn't want to have to come, let alone wear anything but the genius bribed me into wearing a Wonder Woman costume.

"You look hot" Sam says absently, as his eager eyes scan the entrance. My hand is clenched tightly in his but since I'm Loric and all, it really doesn't hurt me.

"You know, I should have just dressed as normal. I'd still be the most authentic one here" I argue, as we queue for the entrance. Sam cracks a grin, finally paying attention.

"It's part of the fun to dress up" he replies. I laugh and shake my head; he can be an idiot at times.

I still love him though.

"Ugh and I keep on getting these awkward looks" I complain, as a man in his 30s admires my attire. I want to run over and punch him, but apart from that being a major overreaction, this is Sam's day and I don't want to ruin it.

"Well, they're not used to girls like you at conventions like these" Sam says, smiling that tender smile just for me, making my heart rate increase a little. I shrug and try to ignore how affected I am by him.

"Also, they're probably surprised that you're with me" he continues. I raise my eyebrow and he grins, shrugging.

"Well, geeks with no lives don't usually get the really gorgeous girls. It's a rule" he says. I sigh.

"You're way more than just a geek after the war. In fact, I don't even know if you can be called that anymore" I argue, a smile on my lips. He just has that affect on me; always making me smile.

"Sure I can. I love algebra and read books on physics when I'm not doing my homework" he retorts. I laugh as we make our way into the place. I think Sam stops breathing when we enter.

It _is_ impressive, I'll give him that. Stalls line the walls, filled with comic books and cardboard cut-outs of famous comic book characters. I know from the leaflet Sam picked up there's a lot to do: seminars and workshops with comic book professionals and events such as awards ceremonies and even a costume contest. There's also a big area where comic book artists sign autographs or offer free sketches.

Sam is literally in heaven.

Xxx

We've been here for _ages_ and my feet kill in these stupid boots. I'm sick of all the looks I've been getting from some of the men here and I just want to go home.

But then I see Sam and everything changes.

His face is constantly shining with joy as he hurries from stall to stall, conversing with fans of the same comic books as him. He's bought so many books that are covered in autographs and even bought a couple of signed t-shirts. He's literally beaming all the time and I can't express how much it makes me thrilled to see him this happy.

If he's happy, then my annoyance is worth it.

"Oooh, the sci-fi section" Sam says, as we amble down the hall. I look to where he's pointing and grin when I see pictures of planets and galaxies. I grin, genuinely interested in this bit. I may love Sam and all his geekiness but it doesn't mean I have to like everything he loves.

There's a small crowd one stall about other planets and I join in interested. Information about Lorien hasn't been released to the public yet, although it's only a matter of time. Already rumours of aliens are flying around America after our final battle with Setrakus Ra where our legacies were displayed in full detail. Also, Marina healing that young girl suffering from cancer last week was not going to help.

It doesn't matter, though, if people hear about Lorien. I know Marina and John are desperate to heal some of the people suffering terrible diseases in hospitals and I know I'm sick of hiding my true self. I'm sure we'll be seen as heroes once we're found out, especially when people realised we saved their planet. Marina was seen as this angel last week when she saved the little girl. Eight had to literally throw the family off her otherwise I'm sure they would have built her a shrine.

"- no such thing as other life-sustaining planets. It's simply not true!" one guy protests, clutching a copy of a new glossy magazine. Sam sees my interest and we join the group. There are a couple of pictures of galaxies on the table, each of them I can easily name.

Earth has such a small knowledge about space. It's comical.

"I don't agree" I say, stepping closer. A couple of jaws drop when they see my costume and I try not to roll my eyes. This is the reason I didn't want to have to wear this outfit!

"Like you would know anything" one mutters under his breath but I choose to ignore that comment.

"And why is that?" another asks, a challenging note in his voice. I square my shoulders.

"Humans don't know everything; as much as we think we'd like too. How do we know if there's another life-sustaining planet a thousand light-years away? How do we know if there are other alien races out there? And if there are, do they think they same as us?" I retort. A couple of guys nod, but the first one who spoke shakes his head.

"You're wrong. It's all a fanciful notion" the guy says, turning away. Oh, I want to punch him.

"So, what about those recent 'terrorist attacks'"? I say, using air quotations. The guy turns back round, a wary look on his face.

"Those kids who were blowing up half of America?" he asks, wondering where this is going. I nod.

"There have been rumours that they're aliens" I say. The guy bursts out laughing and a couple join in.

"Wait, she's right" I turn and see a girl with glasses approach. "They've been said to possess amazing powers" she continues.

A couple of guys stop laughing and lean in interested. Sam is watching this like its one big joke and the grin on his face can't get any bigger.

"That's a crock of shit! Aliens and superpowers do not exist!" the guy shouts, throwing his arms up.

I admit, I sort of lost it. Not only is this guy looking me up and down like a piece of meat but he's also insulting my intelligence. I have no reason to hide my Legacies anymore; why not use them?

"So this is a lie?" I challenge. Everyone turns to me as I use telekinesis to lift a book off the table. I twirl it in the air, enjoying the humans' wide eyes and slack jaws. I gently put the book down again and then smile triumphantly, enjoying my victory.

"Lorien _is_ a planet and the aliens there are called Loric. I am one of them. So next time you slag off other potential planets, be aware that I could kick your ass in seconds" I say, turning on my heel. I march off as Sam runs to catch up with me. He's laughing and I hear people begin to murmur in wonder and shock back there.

"That was amazing! Damn, their faces!" he chortles. I smile, relaxing a bit as we continue to walk down the hallway. It's still filled with hundreds of people, gossiping and murmuring about their favourite comic books.

I draw to a stop when I reach a couple of seats and sit down wearily. Sam joins me, still smiling. I probably shouldn't have done that but the guy made me so mad. Sam takes my hand and brushes some hair away from my face whilst I admire him.

Sam's not a naturally muscled guy like Nine or Eight but recently he's been at the gym a bit more. He no longer looks as though he's under a hundred pounds, not that it matters, I love him all the same. He still has the glasses, though these actually don't kill his eyes, and the cute NASA shirts. The war hasn't changed him at all, thank god.

"I guess you want to go home" he says, taking my hand. I smile in relief and nod, resting my head on his shoulder. He wraps his arm around my shoulders and I snuggle in closer.

"Sorry, I know you wanted to spend longer here..." I say, trailing off in apology. He laughs and shakes his head.

"Look, I'm a nerd and love comic books but even I've had enough. I want to go home, eat pizza and watch the trashiest film ever" he says, stroking my hair. I laugh and pull away, to see his face.

"I think that can be arranged Eagle Goode" I say referring to the nickname we once made for him so long ago. He grins and leans down to kiss me.

"It's a date, Maren Elizabeth" he murmurs, before closing the distance.

Xxx

"Oh, pyjamas! The gift sent from god!" I cry, lying on the sofa. I'm wrapped in a fluffy blanket, waiting for Sam to change so we can watch the film.

"Not men?" I look up and see Nine grabbing a beer from the fridge. He's been to the gym and then showered, hence he's only wearing a towel.

"Five! Tell your boyfriend to cover up!" I complain. Nine laughs as Five looks up from her laptop at the breakfast bar.

"Hm?" she says. "Oh, Nine put a shirt on" she mutters, not really paying attention. He laughs again and goes around behind her to kiss her neck. She giggles and I chuck a pillow at his back.

"Get a room!" I order them. Marina laughs from the opposite sofa as Eight rolls his eyes.

"Jealous?" Nine asks, leaning over the couch. I snort and raise my eyebrow.

"Nah. I just feel sorry for Five" I say. Nine grins as he saunters to his room to change.

"She doesn't seem to complain" he yells back. Five rolls her eyes as she shuts the laptop.

"I swear, his ego grows by the day" she mutters, jumping down from the stool. I laugh as she heads to her room as well, probably to tell Nine to hurry up; they're going out on a date tonight.

"How was Comic Con?" Marina asks me, flipping through a comic book. Not her too. I smile and lean back against the pillows.

"Ok, I guess. I got into an argument and showed off my legacies" I admit. Eight laughs and shakes his head in mock disapproval. I poke my tongue out at him.

"Don't worry, the Government plan on releasing information about Lorien and the war in a couple of days anyway. Prepare for interviews and photo shoots to come flooding in" Marina replies, sighing. I nod wearily.

"Nine will love that. In fact I bet that's why he's still going to the gym" I say. Marina nods and pokes Eight.

"So will he" she says to me. Eight protests and starts tickling Marina, making her giggle loudly. Sam saunters into the room and grins when he sees the other two.

"You joining us?" he asks. Marina manages to escape Eight's grip and jumps off the sofa, a smile on her face.

"If he stops attacking me" she replies as Eight grins and prepares to lunge to her.

I've got to help. It's what sisters do.

I leap forward and intercept his lunge, both of us crashing on the floor. Eight laughs as we wrestle but my strength wins out. I pin his arms to the floor as Marina sits on his chest, tickling him. Sam laughs and joins in, pulling Eight's socks off and tickling his feet. Poor Eight struggles desperately as he laughs, suffering from our attack.

"What the hell?" John asks, emerging from his room. Guessing by his ruffled hair and hastily pulled on dressing gown, there's no doubt about what he was doing. Sarah pokes her head out the door but then quickly hides when she sees us all looking.

"Help me" Eight begs. Marina laughs and looks away, distracted.

Eight uses that to his advantage.

He grabs her round the waist and flips her over so she's the one in the victim's position. I grab Eight around the chest and drag him away from my best friend, who's in tears of laughter on the ground. Eight struggles in my arms until he eventually accepts defeat.

"Ok, ok, I give up" he says, panting. I release him as Marina and Sam get up off the floor. Eight mock glares at Marina who sticks her tongue out at him.

"Right ok, see you" John says, going back to Sarah. I roll my eyes at Sam who grins at me. I settle on the sofa, Sam's arms wrapped around me securely. He nuzzles his face into my neck, making me gasp at the thrills that causes.

"Anyway, we're going out" Eight says abruptly, grabbing Marina's hand. It's the first time I actually notice what they're wearing; they're both dressed smartly. Five and Nine emerge from their room as well, also in smart attire.

"Where are you going?" I ask, watching as the four of them leave. Marina smiles.

"Theatre and then dinner" she replies making Five groan in annoyance.

"Why are you going if you don't want to?" Sam asks, his fingers tracing patterns on my hand. Nine shrugs.

"Sandor got some to go out with this woman but they changed their plans, so Five and I got the tickets. Marina and Eight are coming for moral support" he says forlornly. I laugh and roll my eyes as they pull their coats on. I snuggle back into Sam as the film begins. I'm so glad I don't have to go and can just stay here with him. Every moment with him is precious.

"Have fun" I call as they leave via the elevator.

Soon it's just Sam, I and the film. I'm sort of getting into the rom con when Sam starts placing little kisses up and down my neck. His fingers gently stroke the skin of my arm as he nibbles on my ear lobe. I close my eyes at the wonderful sensations and then turn around, wrapping my arms around his neck, kissing him deeply.

Needless to say, I didn't watch the film after that.

* * *

So, I can't seem to do a one-shot without having a bit of FivexNine in there... I think I need to work on that.

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed that and please review!


	5. Flu

Disclaimer: I still don't own the Lorien Legacies...

Hi guys!

So once more, a huge thanks for all your reviews and support. I'm glad you enjoyed the one-shot, it really makes me glad to know you guys appreciate my writing.

**Here is a Five/Nine one-shot because they're always so easy to write about. This one-shot takes place after the war but they're all on Earth. Pretty much all the one-shots will take place in this time but I'm just writing this to clear up doubts.**

So read on and hopefully enjoy!

* * *

Nine

I wake up, with a pounding head and a terribly dry throat. My muscles ache all over and I feel shaky and cold. I groan, rolling over in bed, my body protesting against me. The bed's empty; Five must already be up. I listen out and can hear her moving about in the bathroom, humming quietly to herself. I open my eyes but the stab of pain caused by the light makes me shut them quickly.

I feel like hell.

"Good morning" Five's says cheerfully, as the bathroom door opens. I drape an arm over my eyes and refuse to open them; i'm in too much pain.

"It's a terrible morning" I moan, pulling the covers over me. I feel cold and just want to sleep. I hear her moving and then the bed next to me dips as she sits down.

"Are you ok?" she asks, concern in her voice. I slowly open my eyes and see her lovely face smiling in amusement. I sigh and then cough at once, dry coughs taking over me for a while. After a while it stops and I lean back in bed exhausted.

"You're burning up" Five says, stroking my face. She pushes my slightly damp hair out of my eyes and I close my eyes, wanting to give into the tiredness.

"I feel cold and ill and I have a headache" I complain, my voice pitiful. She smiles and continues to stroke my hair.

"I think you have flu" she says. I groan and close my eyes; I don't want to have it!

And no one can heal me either. We all decided to use our time here on Earth and go travelling; Five and I decided to go to South America, where we've both spent some time of our lives there. Marina and Eight are in India and then will go to Spain. I think Six and John went to travel around Europe but i'm not sure. We're only going for around two weeks, but of course I now have the flu.

We're in a posh hotel in Rio which has amazing air conditioning and wonderful facilities. But with this flu nothing makes me feel better. I groan once more for good measure and Five laughs, shaking her head.

"Why do I have the feeling that you're going to be a really bad patient" she says, a smirk on her face. I shrug and smile at her innocently, trying to ignore the constant pain.

"So does that mean you'll be my nurse?" I ask hopefully. She rolls her eyes but nods.

"I suppose... but no kisses until you get better. I don't want to get ill" she says, slipping away from me as I reach for her.

I feel too ill to even complain about that.

Xxx

Five

Nine throws up once more in the toilet. I wince and then sigh, pouring out another glass of water. He's had the flu for the past couple of days and is suffering pretty badly. Not that he's hidden that from me; in fact he won't shut up. I'm hearing all the time about how terrible he feels and how much he wants it to go away.

He stops vomiting and I hear him stumble back to bed. He doesn't want me around when he throws up; I think he's embarrassed. To be honest, I'm not a big fan of the whole 'looking after ill people thing' either.

I walk back into the bedroom to see him lounging on the bed, groaning. I roll my eyes and sigh, bringing the tray of soup over to the bed. He's much better now after a week and will be fully recovered soon. I'm not sure how much more of Nine as a patient I can take; he's... well, let's say dramatic.

"I'm dying" he moans as I set the tray down and go over to the bed. I shake my head and help him sit up, propped against the pillows. I push some of his hair back and note happily that his temperature's down. I may complain about him but I do love him and I hate seeing him in pain.

"No you're not, you're much better. Anyway, you have the flu, not a terminal disease" I say, wiping his sweaty forehead with a wet cloth. He smiles in relief and closes his eyes at the cool touch.

"It feels like one" he says dramatically. I roll my eyes for what feels like the millionth time today and reach for the tray. I pick up the bowl of soup.

"You've got to eat this" I order. His eyes snap open and his face registers disgust when he sees the food. He's lost his appetite and getting him to eat has been a _nightmare_. I'm not sure how Sandor coped with a young Nine.

"I'm not hungry" he says sullenly. I sigh and look at him pleadingly.

"I know and I don't really enjoy doing this either but you have to eat. You need all the energy you can get" I beg. He sighs but nods, resigned. I quickly dip the spoon in the soup and lift it to his lips. He smirks.

"Is this where you make aeroplane noises?" he asks, referring to what parents do to their kids to encourage them to eat. I can feel my barely-there control wavering.

"Just eat the damn soup, Nine" I order, trying to seem calm. I was never good at looking after people.

"Nope, not until you do the whole aeroplane thing" he says, a taunting smirk on his face. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. I calm down slightly.

"Please Nine" I beg but he shakes his head, laughing. My control snaps.

"Why are you being so difficult?!" I shout. I grab the bowl of soup and without thinking, hurl it at the wall. Soup and shattered fragments of china explode against the wall. Nine turns serious at once.

"Sorry, I didn't mean-" he says weakly but I interrupt him.

"All week I've been looking after you! Cooking your food, washing you, giving you medicine, holding your hand when you were really ill! I didn't mind, I love you, but you haven't helped me at all!" I vent, my exhaustion and frustration overtaking me. He hasn't been sleeping at all well at night recently and I've been kept up as a result. Pair that with no sleep during the days and I'm craving a rest.

He stares at me shocked and surprised when I burst into tears. I just can't help it, he looks so sad and I feel so ashamed.

"I'm sorry, i'm sorry" I mutter, leaving the room to get a bucket and cloth to clean up. When I re-enter the room, he's trying to get out of bed to help clean up. I automatically feel ten times worse and I usher him down, noticing his sigh of relief.

"I should help" he protests, as I straighten the blanket over him. He looks guilty as I go over and begin to clean up the mess. The poor hotel manager would kill me if I just left it.

"No, you need your rest" I say, wiping my eyes. I feel stupid and like I overreacted. He's ill for God's sake! Why was I so stupid?!

"I'm sorry...I've been difficult" he apologises. Shame floods my cheeks and I concentrate on cleaning the walls instead of turning to see his puppy-dog eyes that get me every time.

"It's not you, I'm just impatient" I say, sniffing. Without meaning to, I sneeze and I have the horrible urge to blow my nose. Must be allergic to something; maybe the dust lurking in the room.

"No, I know I haven't been easy and you need sleep. Come join me; that can wait" he persuades. I sigh and think about it, the thought of sleep being very tempting. He smiles at me and my control caves. I drop the cloth at once and snuggle into bed with him, his arms wrapped around my waist. His warmth contrasts against the cold air conditioning and I cuddle closer.

"Thanks for looking after me" his low voice in my ear sends shivers down my spine, even though I'm so tired. I smile as his arms tighten around me.

"You're welcome...if I'm ever ill, I'll expect you to do the same" I warn teasingly. He laughs but then coughs for a bit, one hand covering his mouth so he doesn't cough on me.

"You going to make me sign a contract"? He says finally, his voice husky from coughing. I know he's still got a cough and a headache and occasionally vomits but he's pretty much recovered. I'm glad; I don't like to see him suffer.

"Not a bad idea, I'll draw one up after my sleep" I say, playing along. He chuckles and then sighs, one hand gently playing with my hair.

"Sleep, then we'll think about this contract" he says. I smile and nod, closing my eyes.

Before I know it, I'm fast asleep.

Xxx

Nine

I whistle as I slowly dry my face off in the bathroom. I feel so much better after my bout of illness last week, but it's because I'm Loric; I get better much more quickly than humans. I splash some aftershave on, Five's favourite of course, and pull on a nice shirt. We're finally going to see Rio today and I know Five's looking forward to showing me around.

"Hey, do you think you'll be ready?" I call, as I leave the bathroom. Five's curled up in bed and I smile; she's not an early riser. It takes me at least half an hour to make her open her eyes.

She moans under the covers and then coughs. I see her body shake under the covers with every cough and then sneeze. Oh no. This has got to be a joke. She slowly pulls the covers down and shoots me a fierce glare.

"I hate you" she hisses. Her eyes are red and puffy, whilst her nose is running and her face very pale. She's shiny with sweat and I bet she has a killer headache. I can't believe it; we're going to spend our entire holiday in this hotel looking after each other.

"Do you want some soup?" I ask stupidly. I know at once it's the wrong thing to say.

If looks could kill, I'd be dead.

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed! The next one-shot will be about Ella and a love interest but you're going to have to guess who!**

**So, please please please review!**


	6. Crush

Disclaimer: I don't own Lorien Legacies

Hi guys!

Thank you all soooo much for the reviews! 40 reviews and I've only posted five chapters! You guys are awesome!

I will update my other story tommorrow for those who read that one so don't worry, I won't leave you with that cliffhanger for Nine...

So, here we go, Ella's love interest. I hope you enjoy!

* * *

Three

Ok, breathe. I can do this.

...

Who am I kidding? I can't pull this off. There is _no_ way on Earth that she will want to go out on a date with me. None.

_She's_ sitting on the couch, strands of her hair falling into her eyes every so often, making her tuck it behind her ear in annoyance. There's a small frown on her face as she reads the newspaper, her big brown eyes scanning the pages quickly. She's dressed casually, but she manages to look gorgeous and show off her slim figure in jeans and a t-shirt.

So why would she even like me?

"Right, you ready?" Eight walks into the room and she looks up, smiling at him. My heart stops beating for a couple of seconds at that smile but when she looks at me too, it practically sprints in my chest. I try to grin back but my smile falls apart.

She's just so perfect.

"You coming to join us?" she asks me. I nod, quickly and sit down on the couch next to her, my throat dry.

"Eight insisted on an action film" she says, sighing forlornly. I smile, properly this time, and nod.

"Sounds good to me; I don't know why you're complaining" I reply, impressed I actually formed a sentence. She grins and I find myself melting inside.

"Hurry up!" Eight shouts to someone else, a cheeky grin on his face. I can feel my hands sweating and my heartbeat increasing, as _she_ continues to flick through the paper, the scent of her hair filling my senses.

"Chill! _Someone_ had to get the food!" Marina says, rolling her eyes as she walks in, bowls of popcorn balanced in her arms. Next to me, Ella jumps up and takes a couple, to help balance the load.

"Oh, I didn't know you were joining us" Marina says, her eyes watching me suspiciously. Ever since she found out I'm in love with Ella she's been keeping an eye on me.

She can be protective to the point of being terrifying.

"Sure he is. Not a problem, is it?" Ella asks innocently, a sweet smile on her face. She has no idea of my complete adoration for her, which makes this all so much harder. Marina smiles warmly back at her and shakes her head.

"Of course not" she says, but as soon as Ella's back is turned, she sends me a fierce glare. The message is clear: _be good._

Like I would even have the courage to hold Ella's hand.

Eight grins at me after Marina's settled down next to him; he knows exactly what is going on but he finds the whole thing hilarious. It's all right for him, he's already got the girl he loves but I have to go through the nerves phase. It's horrible.

"You all right?" I look up as Ella settles next to me. Marina's watching us closely and I find myself flushing.

"Sure" I reply, my voice higher than normal. Eight smirks and I go even redder. The film starts up whilst the lights go out, probably Eight, and I swear Ella moves closer to me. I can smell her hair and I begin sweating with nerves.

God help me.

Xxx

"Ugh, that sucked. Next time, I choose the film" Marina tells Eight, a soft smile on her face. He laughs and stands up, shaking his head. I wish I could be that confident too but it's just impossible.

"I agree; your taste is terrible" Ella confirms, stretching out her arms in front of her. I smile, having calmed down in the past hour and a half; now I'm not terrified around her, only nervous.

"Three, I need back-up here" Eight protests. I shrug and smile.

"Sorry man, but that film did suck" I say. Marina snorts and stands up too, collecting some bowls.

"You'd agree with whatever Ella says, even if it means throwing yourself off a cliff" she says, a wicked grin on her face. Eight laughs again and then helps her take the empty bowls out of the room.

Leaving Ella and I alone.

My cheeks have heated up to an impossible colour after Marina's last comment and my hands are sweaty again. Ella is also blushing and avoiding my eyes.

"She didn't mean-"

"I wouldn't throw myself off-"

We both talk at once and then stop awkwardly, in silence once more. I swallow and she nervously tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. She must be so embarrassed, not knowing how to say no to me. She must really not like me in that way.

But I can't help but think her eyes are hopeful and expectant. Does she want me to ask her out?

It's now or never, Three.

"Doyouwanttogoonadate?" I ask, talking so quickly the words all run into one. She looks at me confused and I take a breath and try again.

"Do you want to go on a date?" I ask, holding my breath expectantly. Her eyes light up and she smiles a smile so beautiful, my heart almost stops. Again.

"I'd love to!" she exclaims. I grin in relief and release the breath I was holding. She giggles and I feel so happy, so thrilled to be going out with her. I'm the luckiest guy in the world.

I suddenly notice we're leaning closer together, our eyes meeting and lips centimetres apart. With my newly found confidence I move closer and lean down to kiss her. A sudden cough by the door leads us to both pull away blushing.

"Oh, didn't mean to interrupt" Marina says, glaring at me as her protective side takes over.

And I thought asking Ella out was going to be the hard bit.

Xxx

Ella

"Phone?"

"Yep"

"Money?"

"Yep"

"Pepper spray?"

"Marina!"

I turn to look at my older 'sister', shocked and amused by her question. She's treating my date with Three as a dangerous situation and is making sure I have everything I would need to kill someone. She seems to think Three is a criminal, not a nervous 14 year old who's never been on a date before.

"I will _not_ need pepper spray!" I say, but I'm grinning. Marina laughs and stretches out on my bed, watching me get ready.

"Better safe than sorry" she says wisely. I roll my eyes and turn back to the mirror, trying to fix my hair into a neat ponytail. I'm wearing a nice black skirt with a navy silky shirt, paired with some little ballet flats.

"Do I look ok?" I ask Marina nervously, turning in front of the mirror. I want to look perfect for Three, since he always looks so nice. I want to make a good impression for our date.

"You look gorgeous, which is why I'm being so protective... do you have a knife in your bag?" she asks. I shake my head, exasperated, and look at her with an eyebrow raised.

"I am _not_ taking a dagger on my first date!" I exclaim. Marina shrugs as she gets off the bed.

"Five did" she says. I grab my small bag and pull my black coat on.

"I'm not Five. And I can't believe you're being like this, even Papa's better than you" I say, as we leave my room. Marina sighs.

"You're only 13, Ella. I'm just worried, that's all. Not all guys are nice" she says, looking down. Probably thinking about the male agents who tortured her so long ago in Pennsylvania. I take her hand and squeeze it.

"I'm perfectly capable of defending myself now. And anyway, Three won't let anything happen to me... and nothing will" I say. She smiles and shrugs.

"Yeah, I know. But just be careful" she says. I roll my eyes as we go to the living room, where it seems everyone has come to see us off. I blush at once when everyone looks at me; even John and Six managed to turn up instead of staying locked in their room!

"Right, well have fun" Nine says, crossing his arms and glaring at Three. He looks hugely intimidating and as though the last thing he wants is for us to have fun. I see Three swallow nervously and look away.

"Don't be late" Papa says, also frowning with his hand on the gun on his belt. Old habits, I suppose. Poor Three looks terrified.

"Ok, see you later" I say, hurriedly grabbing Three's hand and dragging him away from the others. He looks relieved to be leaving, which is exactly how I feel.

"Ella?" I turn and look at Marina, noting with wariness her wicked grin.

"Don't forget this" she says, chucking me something. I catch it and then my jaw clenches when I see what it is.

Pepper spray.

I open my mouth to say something when the elevator arrives and Three quickly drags me into it before I can make a scene. I hear the others laughing as the doors shut and Three starts to grin, making me loosen up. As long as he wasn't offended, then everything's all right.

"Oh my god, she's a nightmare" I moan, as soon as the lift goes down. Three laughs and shrugs.

"It's sweet that she looks after you like that" he says, taking a hold of my hand. I can't help but be self-conscious that it's slightly sweaty but then I notice his isn't much better. We're both very nervous.

"You look really lovely, by the way" Three says, making me blush. I thank him in whispers, not sure what to say. I still have the pepper spray clutched in my hand and with a resigned sigh, stuff it into my bag.

As we leave the building and begin the short walk to the restaurant, I can't help but notice how nervous I am. I've liked Three for _ages_ but never had the courage to ask him out. He's always cheerful, like Eight, but is still very shy and insecure at the same time. Like me, he hasn't grown to accept himself fully; we're still in the awkward stage of growing up where we want to be perfect.

"I hope you're hungry" Three says, his voice higher than normal. I squeeze his hand and try to act more confident than I feel.

"Starving. I hope the food's good" I say as we cross the road. Sandor had recommended this restaurant to us but I know it's very expensive. Fortunately, Nine gave Three a credit card but only for this date and nothing else.

"It should be for the price" Three says, making me laugh. We enter the restaurant, the smell of posh food hitting our senses at once. A stuck-up waitress looks at us with distaste but comes over with a sigh.

"How can I help you?" she says, looking like the last thing she wants to do is help us.

"Table for two please" Three asks politely. She sighs again but leads us through the wealthy couples to a small table, in the corner of the room.

"Thanks" I whisper as she walks away again. I sit down awkwardly and stare around the place in awe; it must make a lot of money to look like this. Three and I sit there in silence for a while, neither of us sure what to say.

"Did I say you look lovely?" Three asks, clearly unsure where to begin. I nod and smile tentatively.

"Yes, but thank you" I reply. I take a sip of water from the glass in front of me. Three swallows and tries another topic.

"It seems full here; must be a good place" he says, swallowing nervously.

"Maybe" I reply. Why am I being so difficult? I just can't seem to talk to him; that's how nervous I am about making a mistake. It's ironic; my huge crush is going to ruin things between us.

There's another silence, which is broken when the waitress comes over. She looks as though we're wasting her time and I see Three stiffen with annoyance.

"What can I get you to drink?" she asks, a sneer in her voice.

"Coke please" Three says. The woman raises her eyebrow at his choice but writes it down anyway, then turns to me.

"I'm fine with water" I say, my hands clenched together. Three looks surprised but doesn't say anything as the woman walks away.

We sit in painful silence until she brings the drink back, neither of us sure what to say. I can talk to him fine at home but here? I find it difficult.

"I'm just going to the toilet" Three says, leaving me quickly. I sigh sadly. I'm ruining the date but i'm so nervous and so unsure of what to say. This isn't my type of place to eat out and I really don't like it here. Neither does Three.

"We have a problem" Three says a couple of minutes later, coming back with panic on his face. I look at him concerned, at once my instincts kicking in to prepare for a fight.

"Nine didn't give me the credit card" he says, his hands twisting together. He looks so guilty and upset that I reach over and take his hand.

"I have enough money to get a takeaway" I say, a plan forming in my head and a wicked grin creeping onto my face. He looks up and smiles, his face lighting up.

"Let's go" he says, grabbing his coat.

Xxx

"He didn't say that!" I exclaim, giggling away at Three's story about Nine threatening him. Apparently I have another strong defender at home.

"He did. He also said that if _anything_ happened to you, he would personally make my life hell" he says, his face creased in a smile. I laugh again, shaking my head at Nine's silliness.

Three and I are walking along Lake Michigan, carrying a coffee in our hands. Once we had ditched the rich scene, everything had become so much more relaxed between us now. He's been making me laugh non-stop for the past hour and a half; we haven't run out of things to say.

We had bought a burger at first but half an hour ago, we were cold and grabbed a coffee too. We now have no money but it's ok, we don't need any.

"He went into _a lot_ of detail... I wasn't sure whether to be impressed or worried" he adds. I laugh again, my cheeks hurting from smiling so much. This date has gone from awkward to amazing.

"Ignore them. It's just because I'm the youngest" I say. Three shrugs and then bats his eyelashes at me, making me blush and my heartbeat increase slightly.

"I'm still young" he says, trying to be pitiful. I roll my eyes and shove him lightly. He grins in response.

We walk over to a bench and sit down, appreciating the night view. I take a deep breath and smile in contentment. I'm so glad we decided to ditch the restaurant and now we can learn about each other in a more relaxed environment.

I reach into my pocket and switch my phone on, curious to see whether Marina or Nine texted me. I open my messages and start giggling when I see the message. Three leans over my shoulder, his breath tickling my cheek.

"Read this" I say, showing him the phone.

_Hey Ella, this is the code. Press:_

_1 if you're being kidnapped_

_2 if you're being raped_

_3 if you're being murdered_

_Reply ASAP_

_P.S. hope the date's going well._

"How long do you think they all spent on that message?" I ask, shaking my head. I bet they all sat around, planning that text to make me mad. Three grins mischievously and takes my phone whilst I look at him suspiciously as he types the answer. He sends it and then passes the phone back to me. I read what he wrote.

_What's the code for all three?_

"Three!" I gasp, giggles taking over again. He laughs and I shake my head again. My stomach hurts from laughing so much and I start to get hiccups. Three grins as I blush in embarrassment.

"They're...gonna... kill...you" I say between hiccups. He laughs and shrugs.

"Won't you protect me?" he begs, pulling out his puppy dog eyes. I roll my eyes just as my phone beeps and I look at the message.

_Use the pepper spray :D_

I laugh and then switch my phone off, more interested in spending time with Three than sending stupid texts to the others. He grins at me and I feel myself blush.

"I don't want to go back" I say, sighing. Marina told me I _had_ to be back by 10 but for me, that's too soon. Three grins triumphantly.

"We don't have to. I may have bribed Eight into helping me out..." he says, trailing off suggestively. I look at him confused.

"I said I'd do his share of chores for the next month if he watched a 'Lord of the Rings' marathon with her tonight" he explains.

I laugh; Marina loves those films and tries so hard to get Eight to watch them with her. He usually refuses because he says there's only so much he'll do for her, but he agreed tonight. She won't notice us coming in a bit later if she's engrossed in them.

"Good thinking... but I think Eight ripped you off there" I say. Three smiles and shrugs.

"It's worth it" he replies.

I can't say how happy that makes me feel.

Xxx

Three

We slowly creep back into the apartment, a whole hour later than we were supposed to. Ella looks tired but very happy. After the first awkward half hour, we had a fantastic date and I loved every second.

"We did it, they haven't woken up" Ella whispers to me, her face highlighted by the moon shining through the windows. She takes my breath away and suddenly I really want to kiss her.

I lean down and her eyes widen just as our lips meet. It's only a peck; I'm too shy to take it any further. As I quickly pull away, she smiles and her eyes sparkle.

"Thanks for an amazing date" I whisper, keeping my voice down. I don't want Nine to follow up on his threats... they were graphic.

"I can say the same" she replies. I smile, squeezing her hand.

"We better go before they realise we're late" I say. Ella giggles very quietly but nods. We head to our rooms, passing Marina's with the films still playing. Poor Eight.

We pause outside Ella's door, neither of us wanting to leave the other. She stands up on her tiptoes, pecking me on the lips once more. My lips burn, even after that brief contact, and I blush with a huge smile on my face. Nothing can ruin this moment.

"What time do you call this?"

Help.

* * *

So, who do you think caught them? Nine/Marina/Crayton? It doesn't really matter; you can choose who you want :D

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed and please review!


	7. Football

Disclaimer: I don't own Lorien Legacies!

Hi guys!

Thank you all so much for the response to the last chapter; I'm really glad you liked Ella and Three as a pairing. If you're wondering who caught them, It was Nine, Crayton and Marina. They all stayed up to interrogate the poor couple :(

So, here is a John/Six one-shot but as so many of my other ones, features other couples too.

Also, a shout out to 'Insert a Catchy Penname here' and 'DarkseidShrike' who helped me out with this one-shot (because I had no idea how football works in America).

* * *

John

"Right, I don't care how freaking much you love them, we're gonna destroy them" Nine threatens, all of us standing in a circle, prepping for the game.

It was only meant to be a bit of fun; boys versus girls in football. But this is Nine and Six we're talking about and they decided to shake things up with a bet. The losers will have to be personal slaves for the next week.

I _have_ to win.

"We're not going to have to hurt them, right?" Three asks nervously. The teams are: Eight, Nine, Three, Sam, Adam and I versus Six, Marina, Five, Two and Ella. They complained they had less players but I argued Sam doesn't count as a player next to Loric girls.

"Within reason" Nine says. I roll my eyes at him, amused by how competitive he's being.

"Right ok, so if I break Five's ribs or something, you'll be fine?" I ask. His eyes narrow at the thought of his girlfriend getting hurt.

"No offense Johnny, but she's more likely to break your ribs" he replies. Eight laughs and nods, earning a glare from me.

"You ready to be beaten?!"

We turn to watch the girls walk out onto the 'pitch'. It's really just a field in the middle of nowhere; we don't want to be seen by humans when we're playing. The pitch is much longer than a human one because of our advanced speed; we need more space.

It was Six who shouted, a huge smirk on her face. They're confident in their ability to beat us and they have every reason to. They have us guys wrapped around their little fingers and they know it. Especially when they're wearing those short shorts.

Damn Six and her intelligence.

"False bravado!" Nine shouts back, not going to be shown down by Six. She comes jogging over and links her hand with mine when she reaches us.

"Just face it Nine, you can't beat us" she replies. She's not stupid at all; she knows they'll win. Nine is the only one who won't accept that.

"He'll still try" I reply. Six smiles a smile so beautiful my heart stops in my chest and I stare at her stupidly. Sam rolls his eyes.

"John, you still with us?" he asks. I blush and return to the conversation, avoiding Eight's amused gaze.

"You know the rules?" Nine asks and Six rolls her eyes.

"Of course! You know the bet?" she challenges, referring to the punishment we're going to inevitably get. Nine nods and then rubs his hands together, glaring at Six.

"Team strategy now. You've gotta go!" he orders. Six rolls her eyes and then turns to me. Before I can do anything, she leans up and kisses me quickly. It's intense and passionate, leaving me speechless when she pulls back. She winks at me once and then turns to leave.

"Hey, Johnny! Snap out of it! She's playing you!" Nine says, shoving my arm. I nod and try to concentrate on the conversation and not on how good Six looks in her shorts.

It doesn't work very well.

"Right, Eight use your teleportation as your main weapon" I roll my eyes at Nine's exaggeration. "Three, just run and tackle. Ok, Sam... Use your brain to think about what they'll do and Adam, you gotta use your earthquake shit, man" Adam grins and nods, cracking his knuckles. Nine turns to me and sighs.

"If you even pay attention to the game I'll be happy" he says, shaking his head in disappointment. I try to protest but Eight interrupts.

"Don't worry, we'll hold them back" he says. I roll my eyes as we begin to walk onto the field.

"It's not life or death" I say, grinning at Six who flicks her hair back. She's purposely flirting with me to make me lose my concentration and damn, is it working.

Nine stops and stares at me, his eyes wide. "Johnny! This is principle! We've gotta beat them! I'm not playing with a traitor so you better join the cause quickly or leave!" he says. Eight laughs at my expression and then shrugs.

"He's right. Look, Nine and I aren't drooling over our girlfriends and they're wearing the exact same shorts as Six" he adds. Nine nods, his arms crossed.

"Shut up" I mutter, flushing again. Nine laughs.

"Come on! If you're gonna play this slowly, you might as well give up!" we turn and see Five waiting with the ball in her hand, glaring impatiently.

"Don't let me down Johnny; I'll never hear the end of it from her otherwise" Nine mutters, as we get ready to play.

Xxx

Nine crouches with the ball, preparing for Henri to blow the whistle. The Cepans thought it would be worth coming along to watch.

They're really just here to see us guys lose.

The whistle goes and Nine immediately chucks the ball to Eight. Six races to him since she's the closest but he's not there, he's already teleported halfway down the field. Five grins and then suddenly Eight stops. He can't move.

Damn, I forgot about mind control!

Nine sprints down the field, catching the ball from Eight when it's thrown to him. I'm tailing him, just in case one of the girls uses their legacies on him. As I expected, the ground around his feet gives way as his ankles are sucked into the ground.

Great, now it's element control.

I race to him and grab the ball when he throws it to me. I run as hard as I can when something slams into me and I fall to the ground, winded. Five grabs the ball from me and I try to trip her up but she's too good.

Five grabs the ball and runs down the field with it, Nine running to tail her. Just as he's about to tackle her, she throws the ball to Marina who snatches it quickly out of the air. She races down the field, Nine catching up to her when Eight teleports in front of her. Quick as a flash, she chucks the ball to an invisible Six who is just by the end. She turns visible and then steps neatly over the line. The point is theirs.

"Dammit!" Nine shouts.

Six walks back a bit and with a smooth kick, it sails through the goal. I'm admiring her skill in the game until Nine whacks me on the head.

"Concentrate!" he hisses. I grin and rub my head.

"7 points" Five whoops, blowing Nine a kiss. He glares but I see his eyes are light and playful. Huh, if I teased him, he would definitely not be happy. Must be a love thing.

This time it's the girls chance to take the ball. Marina takes it confidently and once the whistle's blown, she races off down the field. Five and Six are invisible but Marina will know where they are through mind control. Eight teleports to Marina and tries to stop her but Two appears and uses her shield to protect Marina as she runs.

The ground suddenly starts shaking around us as Adam uses his earthquake legacy. Nine laughs as Marina is knocked over, dropping the ball which is quickly kept hovering above the ground by telekinesis. Seeing my chance, I race forward and grab the ball, running to gain us guys some points.

Ella appears next to me, running alongside me. She neatly trips me up; damn, she's fast. I tumble down but don't let go of the ball. Ella swoops in and tries to grab the ball but Three is here now and pulls her off me, his arms wrapped around her waist. They're both laughing, not really that interested in the game but more in each other.

"Give me the ball" I look up and see Marina standing calmly in front of me. Without thinking, I pass her the ball, my body not in charge of my actions. She smiles at me sweetly and then sprints off, so fast she's a blur.

Damn it! Mind control again!

Nine races after her, being the only one who can catch her. I watch and then wince as he slams into her, making the ball sail through the air. Six appears nearby and uses telekinesis to direct it towards her. She quickly crosses the line again before Nine can charge.

"Ha! I thought you were supposed to be good!" she teases Nine, who is glaring and swearing under his breath. He stands up, helping Marina up as well.

"Nice play" Six says to me, grinning cheekily. I try not to be affected by her and just smile.

"Not too bad yourself" I reply. She laughs and yeah, my heart stops beating. Again.

"Hey, stop fraternising with the enemy!" Nine hisses, dragging me away. I hear Six laughing with Five as we take positions again.

Xxx

"Half-time" Sandor calls, blowing his whistle. He loves that thing way too much; he's going to kill my eardrums eventually.

We've had a terrible start with the score is currently 0-21. None of us want to really hurt our girlfriends (well except for Nine, he can be brutal) so we haven't been playing our best. However, the girls don't seem to have a problem with playing dirty to win.

"Ok, guys. We're shit. We need to watch out for their mind control and actually play well" Nine instructs, pacing around, the ball still tucked under his arm. He doesn't seem to realise his team aren't listening. Eight is with Marina, _of course,_ whilst Three is with Ella and Adam and Sam are chatting with Two.

"You didn't do too badly" I turn to see Six stand nearby with Five, both have smirks on their faces.

"You feeling threatened?" Nine taunts, grinning. Five rolls her eyes.

"Oh please, we haven't even started yet and you've clearly given up" she retorts. Nine laughs and throws an arm around her shoulders.

"Ah Johnny, I hope you have planned what our slaves will do for us once we win" he teases. Five rolls her eyes again but smiles all the same.

"Hell yeah. No chores, getting her to cook for me... man, I can't wait" I join in. Six raises her eyebrow at me as she stands next to me, linking her hand with mine.

"You've gotta actually win first... and considering your recent performance, I wouldn't count on it" she retorts, smiling. I grin and bend down, capturing her lips with mine. I ignore Nine's protests and kiss her, oblivious to everything but her.

I'm shoved in the back and I reluctantly pull away. Nine grins cheekily at me as I glare at him, annoyed he interrupted my moment with Six.

"Dude, she knows what she's doing. Don't fall for it" he says.

"Too late" Five giggles, grinning at Six. They high-five and Nine rolls his eyes.

"Right ok, separation time. I'm _not_ about to get our asses kicked again" Nine mutters, dragging me away from Six. I protest and try to fight back but he's too strong.

"Team talk!" he yells, dragging Eight away as well, who simply grins good-naturedly. Nine pulls us into a circle, well away from the girls.

"John, use your Lumen. Screw hurting them, I have enough bruises from that stupid rock game they pulled" Nine grumbles. I grin, remembering when Six thought it would be funny to pelt small rocks at Nine whilst he's running. Needless to say, we didn't do well then.

"You're just annoyed she's more badass than you" I say proudly. He raises his eyebrow and then snorts.

"As if. Eight, you use your master legacy. Then they won't mess with us. We'll tail different people: I'll go with Six, Johnny with Marina, Three with Ella and Eight with Five. Got it?" he says.

Adam and Sam have decided they didn't want to play anymore and Two sat out with them. I think she quite likes Sam. It's ok; it's the lethal players now.

"Sure" I say, trying to stop my eyes wandering to Six every now and then. It's not easy.

"Cool, let's start!" Nine mutters.

Xxx

21-21.

We managed to pull back some points in a great second half. Nine had been right; my Lumen and Eight's master legacy where unbeatable. Marina had been nervous to approach me when I'd been on fire and Five had refused to purposely put herself in danger from Eight. Only at first though. Now she's desperate.

"Ok, last minute!" Sandor shouts.

This is it. The decider. If we win, Six will be my 'slave' for the next week. But if we lose... God help me.

Nine is nearby, sweaty but with a wild grin on his face. He thinks we can do this and I'm starting to agree.

Marina has the ball again and when the whistle blows, races off with it. Nine tackles her at once but Five is there and invisible, snatching the ball from the air. Eight shoots a couple of random beams of fire at where she was but we don't hear a scream, so she's all right.

I reach around for Five with my telekinesis and grab her, jerking her up and down madly with it. She cries out and then finally releases the ball after a particularly nasty shake. This game is brutal and a lot of us have terrible bruises and cuts.

The ball flies from her hands as she turns visible and I drop her onto the grass. It's quite a long fall but i'm sure she's fine. If not, I'll count on Nine to kill me later. Eight snatches the ball, warding Six off with a flash of fire, and teleports for the touchdown line.

Marina races over quickly using her superspeed and tackles Eight hard; this is a serious game, loving someone does not make a difference. The ball flies out of his hands as they fight; him trying to cross the line, whilst she uses mind control to stop him every time.

"Johnny!" I look over as Nine races over to help. Five lunges for him and trips him up, sending him sprawling. He jumps up again but she's there, throwing a vicious hit to his face.

I see Six in the corner of my ear, running to tackle me. I turn on my heel and run as fast as I can to get to Eight, who is still warding off Marina. He must have managed to catch the ball. Three sees my problem and bravely uses his light manipulation legacy on Six. For a couple of seconds I make a head start whilst Six swears in annoyance. Then Ella lunges forward and shoves Three over, stopping him from using his legacy.

My legs scream in protest as I speed down the pitch to the end, so close but so far. Six is trailing me but I'm just that little bit faster. Eight sees me coming and throws the ball at me which I easily catch. Marina turns to tackle me, but Eight grabs her and doesn't let her go, no matter how hard she struggles.

I cross the line.

"Time!" Sandor shouts.

We've won. We won the bet.

Nine whoops and races over to me, pounding me on the back when he reaches me. Eight teleports over, grinning wildly. Three cheers and Adam and Sam look up to see the commotion.

"We did it!" Nine yells, so proud of himself. Marina starts laughing despite herself and Six clenches her jaw angrily. Five stamps on the ball, flattening it completely. She marches up to Nine and pokes him hard in the chest.

"I swear, if you make me do anything stupid, I _will_ kill you!" she hisses, clearly annoyed she lost. Nine just grins as she marches off.

"Do you know how much she says that to me?"

Xxx

"I thought I said three ice-cubes, not four" Nine says, handing his drink back to Five. She looks like she wants to pour it over his head but she merely nods and marches out of the room. He grins at me and leans back on the sofa.

"Don't you think you're taking it a bit far?" Eight asks, Marina curled against him on the sofa. He does play along a bit but out of all of us, he's been the most relaxed about the bet. Probably knows Marina wouldn't go overboard either, since she's too kind. Also, being mean to Marina is like taking sweets from a kid; you feel terrible afterwards.

"Nope, she'd do the same" Nine replies, a satisfied smile on his face.

We're one day into the bet and already I think Six and Five are plotting to kill Nine and I. We've been a bit spoilt but only because they'd do the same to us. It's just a bit of fun and we don't make them do anything truly horrible, like wash Nine's clothes.

Yet.

Five renters the room, Nine's drink in her hand. She gives it to him with a sugary sweet smile that I would mistrust if I were Nine. She sits next to him, a now permanent glare on her face as Nine takes a sip from the drink. He frowns but then drinks again. Five leans back with a satisfied smirk.

"I spat in that by the way" she says. Nine spits out a stream of liquid in shock whilst the rest of us burst out laughing at his expression. He turns to Five in horror but she shakes her head, laughing.

"You deserved it!" she defends herself. Nine suddenly grins and leans down, kissing her quickly.

"Man, I love you" he says and Five laughs again, blushing. I make fake wretching noises just as Six enters the room. She strops over to me and hands me my plate of cold pizza with a scowl. I didn't even want the food but hey, gotta make use of the bet.

"I think I might fancy a back massage" I muse as Six settles next to me. She raises her eyebrow as if to say 'are you serious?'

"Make sure you break his back" Five mutters, crossing her arms. Nine slips an arm around her shoulders and whispers something in her ear. She smiles despite herself and rolls her eyes, making him grin.

"Nah, don't worry" I say, laughing as Six actually gets up. I pull her back down onto the sofa and she smiles at me. I pull her closer to me and nuzzle my face against her hair, relaxing in her familiar presence.

"So what do you want to watch?" Eight asks, skimming through the programmes.

"Oooh, there's that James Bond film" Five says, leaning forward excitedly. I shake my head.

"Oh no, 'slaves' remember? I don't want to watch that" I say, laughing at her huff and clenched jaw.

"I'd like to watch James Bond" Nine says, making Five grin at him.

"Suck-up" I complain.

"Trust me, she can hold grudges" he says. I shake my head and kiss Six on the lips quickly. She laughs, leaning in to kiss me more deeply. I ignore the others and kiss her intensely. Well, until Nine lobs a pillow at us.

Five smiles 'kindly' at me. "Nah, we don't hold grudges"

Funny how that changed when they won the next bet.

* * *

So I hope you enjoyed and hopefully I got the game right :D

Next update will be about Marina/Eight.

Please review!


	8. Home

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Lorien Legacies.**

**Hi guys!**

**Thank you all sooooo much for all your lovely reviews; I'm really glad you enjoy these one-shots! Please keep up the amazing support!**

**I'm sorry I've haven't updated this recently; exams have swamped me. However, they are now over and I get two weeks off with no homework! So, I shall try to update more then :D**

**Also, I would still love ideas! If you guys have any couples or scenes you want me to do. I think I've been asked to do a Six/Nine one-shot. Would you guys like that or would you rather I stay away from them?**

**So read on and enjoy!**

* * *

Eight

I stand at the top of the ridge, admiring the night view here in India. The nearby waterfall falls elegantly into the lake at the bottom of the small cliff, whilst the moon casts a magical glow over the forest. Behind me, my little mud hut promises warmth and food and a good nights' sleep.

This is home to me. There is no other place on Earth that I would rather be.

I take a deep breath in and close my eyes at the flood of memories over this place. The smells, the sounds, the sights...it's all the same. I turn my head and watch a couple of birds fly through the trees, going to their home for the night. I smile at a sudden surge of joy I feel; I'm home too.

"Eight! I'm stuck again!"

I turn and grin as I watch Marina struggle through the trees to get to me. She's carrying wood for the fire which we collected earlier. I offered to help her get through the tricky parts of the forest, especially the tree roots that always try to trip you up but she refused. She thought she could manage it but even I find it hard, despite having lived here for years. Later on, when she realised it was a lot harder than it looked, I thought it'd be funny to let her do it herself since she _had_ refused my help.

Apparently she didn't find it as amusing.

"I was giving you a taste of my old life" I reply, teleporting over to her and helping her get out of the mess she's in. She sends me a glare but I know it's only half-hearted; she can't hold grudges, she's too kind.

"Well, when we go to Spain, I'll make you work for most of the day and then paddle you if you do something wrong. Then you'll get a taste of _my _old life" she replies snarkily, shoving the wood into my arms.

I frown as she goes over to the edge of the ridge, admiring the view like I had done earlier. I always hate hearing about her life in the orphanage even though I can't change anything. It upsets me to think of Marina as a little girl being hurt for something she didn't realise she'd done.

I go over to join her, admiring her in the silver glow of the moonlight. Here, it's like we're in a completely different world, a magical yet ancient one. A world untouched by modern times.

"It's beautiful, I can see why you would never want to leave" Marina says with a smile. I was right, she's already forgiven me.

"It was all I knew... I was scared of leaving it for the unknown" I admit, wrapping an arm around her slim waist. A cold breeze blows through the small clearing and she moves closer to me, seeking warmth. I rest my cheek against her hair, smelling the familiar scent.

"I felt the same... what was the point in leaving when you didn't know where to go? There was always an excuse to put it off for me... it's a wonder I ever left" Marina says. I nod along; the only reason both of us left our homes was because of Six.

"I sometimes wonder what would have happened if you went to get John instead of coming to India... if you had never come to find me" I murmur. She smiles and nudges me.

"You would be a nomad in the mountains, living off berries and animals" she teases, snuggling closer into me. I laugh and shake my head.

"I would have gone mad" I say seriously. She shrugs.

"It's hard to say. There are so many 'ifs', aren't there? 'What if Adelina was a better Cepan?' 'What if Lorien was never destroyed?" she says. I nod, thinking about the last point.

"I wonder if any of us would know each other...would be friends" I muse, tightening my arm around her. I can't imagine a life on Lorien, a normal life where school is the most important thing. It sounds pretty horrible to be honest.

"Probably not. According to Sandor, Nine lived in the countryside whilst some of us lived in the city" she says. I nod.

"Nine would still love a fight, he'd be the most aggressive Loric ever" I say. Marina laughs, a sound that makes me cheer up at once.

"Probably... I wonder what it'll be like to go back and live on Lorien" she says, her eyes distant.

"Strange. It'll just be us, won't it? We'll probably be lonely" I say sadly.

"And the chimaera. But that'll be it. Sometimes, I wonder what's the point of going back. What can we do? We can't repopulate the planet! It's impossible!" she rants, a worried look on her face. I gently smooth out the frown lines on her face, not liking it when she's upset.

"We should enjoy life now we've won. We've done it Marina! We beat the mogs! Let's not worry about that yet, we won't be going back to Lorien for a while... let's just enjoy life here on Earth" I say, slowly trailing my fingers along her arm. Goosebumps appear on her skin and she smiles wryly.

"Such a guy attitude: 'Don't worry about it, everything's fine... now let's sleep together'" she says, rolling her eyes. I blush but hold my ground.

"I _wasn't _saying that! But anyway, you should relax about it all. It's not a problem for today" I say, smiling gently at her.

She nods and then smiles at me. "What is a problem is my stomach. Come on, I'm _starving"_ she says.

I laugh and link our hands together as we go to get some food. We duck into my small hut and I can't help but grin at how it's still the same. There's still the hammock in the corner, still the fire in the middle, still the rugs lying around.

Marina flops down onto the floor, grinning at me expectantly. I roll my eyes as she lies back, letting me do all the work. I dish out the food, hoping it's as good as Marina's cooking. She's pretty good at it after a lifetime of working in the convent's kitchens.

We eat quickly, both of us absorbed in our thoughts. We're going back to New Delhi tomorrow, taking a plane to Spain. We've been in India this past week, which has been both wonderful yet painful. I know Marina's unsure as to whether she's excited to be going to Spain. We might even go to Santa Teresa, despite the painful memories for her.

"Right, better get some sleep. Long day tomorrow" I say, spreading out some blankets. Marina was looking thoughtfully into the fire but looks up when I speak. She smiles and then leans forward, kissing me and stopping me from what I'm doing. I automatically kiss her back, quickly getting lost in her kiss.

"We should sleep" I protest weakly, as she presses persuasive kisses down my neck. I moan without meaning to, knowing exactly what she's doing and damn, is it working. She laughs, pulling my lips to hers again. I twist my hand into her hair, whilst laying her down on the blankets, effectively contradicting my argument.

"Later... we can sleep later" she murmurs against my lips, her dark eyes filled with mischief and shining in the shaft of light coming through the door. I admit, my self-control doesn't last very long.

We didn't sleep until _much_ later.

Xxx

"This is... nice" I attempt, looking at the pile of rubble in front of me. I'm not really sure what to say, but luckily Marina laughs and shoves my arm.

"Idiot" she mutters affectionately, rolling her beautiful eyes.

We did come to visit Santa Teresa in the end; I think Marina wanted closure just like I did. The whole town is in ruins and nobody has bothered to clear up the mess. There'll be remains here forever. We're standing in front of what used to be the convent where she was effectively imprisoned. Marina may act like this doesn't affect her but I know she's nervous to be back here.

"I feel like... like I should be at school or praying again...or like one of the sisters will have a go at me for being with a guy" she mutters, picking her way around some of the stones. I squeeze her hand gently, letting her know I'm here for her. She smiles and then shrugs.

"Never mind, I don't really miss this place at all. The only good thing about it was meeting Ella" she says, trying to be brave. I wrap my arm around her shoulders, kissing her forehead.

"It was your home, you don't have to pretend to not be affected" I murmur. She sighs and looks down at the ground.

"But it wasn't Eight, that's the point. It wasn't a sanctuary like your hut was for you, where you could be yourself. It was just another reminder of how different I was" she says, her voice breaking at the end and tears appearing in her eyes.

I furrow my brow in distress at seeing her upset but she pulls away from me before I can comfort her, walking away in stiff steps. We shouldn't have come here; I knew it would hurt her too much! I want to make my way over to her but I don't want to push her, she needs her own space.

We both walk around for a bit, lost in our own thoughts, when she approaches me again. She seems happier now and takes my hand, smiling slightly.

"There's something I want to show you" she says.

25 minutes later, I stand in a huge cave, admiring some of her paintings on the walls. In the corner is a supply of food that she told me she kept in case she needed to hide from the mogs if they came. There's one particular picture that captures my eye, a painting of Lorien. I walk closer, amazed by the skill and detail the picture possesses. I wonder is she dreamed about Lorien to paint this picture or maybe she just remembers it.

"This is amazing" I whisper. Marina comes to stand next to me, nibbling on some olives that she found in a jar. She offers me some but I raise my eyebrow, shaking my head. She knows I hate olives; she only offers me them to wind me up.

"Oh look, it's Six!" I say, pointing to the drawing of her. She looks identical to the real one, in fact so does the picture of John. I've never seen Marina paint before but she has incredible talent. This is clearly her passion.

"How did you know what she looked like?" I ask, still amazed by this cave. _This_ was where Marina felt comfortable, not the 'prison' on top of the hill. _This_ was her sanctuary.

"I just had a couple of dreams about her... not visions but just dreams" she says, smiling shyly. She's secretly pleased that I'm so impressed but being as humble as she is, she won't brag. I cross my arms and adopt a scholarly voice.

"The detail used here is impressive but could be varied slightly-" I begin, pretending I know what I'm talking about, but Marina laughs and hits my arm gently.

"Like you have any idea about Art" she teases. I pretend to be upset and widen my eyes.

"Your insult cuts like a knife!" I say dramatically, pressing a hand over my heart. She rolls her eyes as she begins to make her way out of the cave. I look around one last time; sure I'll never see this place again and then leave. Marina is standing outside, a small smile on her face.

"Do you know what? I can't wait to get back to Chicago after seeing this place" she says. I nod and look around at the barren Spanish countryside.

"I know what you mean... I love my place in India but that's my old life" I say, agreeing. I will always miss my little hut and private lake, but that part of my life is over now. And I have Marina too; why would I need a little shelter in the mountains when I have her?

"And, I never thought I'd say it, but I miss Nine too...the others are a given" Marina says, laughing at my look of shock. I'm only playing along though; I miss Nine too.

"I know. His arguing, his ego, his annoying habits, his constant interrupting..." I trail off comically as Marina laughs. "Actually, I don't miss him after all"

"Agreed, he can stay in South America" she says, still giggling. We're walking down the hill, back to the car, neither of us looking back at the ruins.

"Next time we go on holiday, we're going to the Maldives... or Turkey... or somewhere really luxurious... and hot with loads of sun" Marina announces, climbing into the passenger's seat. I grin, getting into the driver's side and starting the car.

"I'm fine with that...I'll get to see you in a bikini" I say, laughing. She shakes her head, pretending to be disappointed in me.

"Perv, you're starting to sound like Nine" I gasp in mock horror and she laughs again.

Just as we turn the last corner, I see Marina take one last long look at the one place she loved yet hated. During this trip, I've learned that just because you live somewhere long enough, does not make it a home for you. What makes it special, is the memories and people that are there with you. I could be in the most expensive house in the world and have servants and room service but it wouldn't be my home if there was no one there that I love.

As long as I'm with Marina, I'm home.

* * *

**Got a bit cheesy and deep there at the end; sorry, I didn't mean for it to be quite so deep :D**

**I hope you enjoyed that and like I said eariler, more ideas would be appreciated!**

**Please review!**


	9. Films

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Lorien Legacies...**

**Hi guys!**

**Thank you all so much for the reviews for the last chapter. I really appreciate all the support and comments you give me.**

**Secondly, thanks to everyone who has PMed me with ideas for one-shots; I have lots to do now but more are still appreciated :)**

**This is a 5/9, after the war but still on Earth.**

**Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Five

"Oh my god, how is that enjoyable?" I groan, adjusting the bags in my grip. The plastic handles continue to dig into my hands and I grimace at the small stings of pain.

"Admit it, you had fun" Six says, grinning at me. I mock glare back and she rolls her eyes, knowing I'm only joking. I _did_ enjoy going shopping with her and Marina but they can do it for hours. I feel exhausted.

"I am so ready to sleep" Marina says, stifling a yawn. I nod as the elevator doors open into Nine's Chicago apartment. One of the benefits of being one of the last Loric survivors is how crazy rich we are.

"Hey! We're home!" Six yells into the seemingly empty entrance room as I gratefully drop the bags. We all walk into the lounge of the flat, hearing the sounds of conversation in the lounge. When we get there, we find John and Eight watching some TV, laughing at something.

"Where's Nine?" I ask, stretching my arms out in front of me. Eight looks up and smiles at Marina as she comes to sit next to him. He automatically wraps an arm around her and I _try_ not to roll my eyes.

"His room. Wanted some private time or something" John says, getting up to see Six. I nod and pick up my bags, heading to my room. I open the door using telekinesis and shove my way through, the bags getting caught around my legs.

"Hey, a little help would be good" I say as I enter. Nine looks up from the laptop on the desk and hurriedly tilts the screen down so I can't see it. I frown a bit at that but shrug as he comes over to help me.

"Hey" he mutters, avoiding my gaze. His voice is huskier than normal. He takes the bags from me and places them at the foot of the bed, seeming grateful to be looking away from me. That rings alarm bells.

"So, what you been doing?" I ask, going over to the computer. Nine freezes slightly and 'casually' glances at the computer. He stuffs his hands in his pockets and shrugs, still looking away so I can't see his face properly. I notice a pair of headphones attached to the laptop.

"Nothing, just surfing the internet" he says. I nod and pretend to not be interested. I notice his gaze fixed on the laptop; what was he doing?

"Anyway, I need to research something" I say, reaching for the computer. Nine jumps up and races over in a blur, slamming the screen shut. I stare at him shocked and he flushes, _still_ avoiding my gaze.

"Um, what the hell?" I ask, completely confused. He flushes and shrugs.

"I was... um, I was... getting you a present... I didn't want you to see it" he says, stammering a lot. His mind is blocked to me and I don't believe his lie one minute.

"You were watching something" I accuse. He shakes his head quickly, paling.

"No I wasn't. I was listening to music, whilst buying you something" he protests. But his tell-tale miniature eye twitch gives away his lie. I stare at him suspiciously and a little worried.

"Nine, I'm your girlfriend and I know you way too well. Also, I read minds. So either you spill or I'll go on that damn thing and find out what you were doing" I threaten, crossing my arms. He sighs and I notice for the first time his bloodshot eyes and wet cheeks.

"Were you crying"? I ask, astonished. What was he doing? He shifts his feet and looks away.

"Nine, what is going on?! I swear if you don't-" I begin to threaten but he finally stops my rant and grabs my hand that was poking his chest.

"I was watching a film!" he admits, his cheeks flushing. I look at him confused.

"Why are you ashamed? It's only a film" I say, completely taken aback.

"I was crying" he says, his shoulders drooping.

"Ok, so it was a sad film, big deal. I don't care" I say, wondering what film it was. Maybe 'My Sister's Keeper'. Even _I_ cried at that.

"It was _Titanic"_ he says, looking down at the ground. My jaw drops and then I burst out laughing, without meaning to.

"Oh my god, my boyfriend cries at _Titanic"_ I gasp out, trying to control my giggles. He huffs and then flops onto the chair, annoyed. I really can't help it. I mean, this is the guy who would consider killing mogs a sport and he's crying at a film.

"I _knew_ you'd laugh! That's why I didn't tell you!" he says, half-shouting. He still looks upset and I realise he's completely embarrassed. I stop laughing at once and sit on his lap, wiping his tears away with my fingers. He cheers up a bit at once.

Typical.

"Sorry, I forget you can be sensitive at times" I say, still teasing slightly. He groans and rests his head in the crook of my neck, his breath tickling my bare skin.

"I thought girls liked that. I thought they didn't like guys who are emotionless and are into guys who are in touch with their feelings" he argues, kissing my skin softly. My eyes flutter close as I try to keep up with the conversation and not focus on his gentle kisses.

"Yeah, but we don't want guys who are more sensitive than us" I retort. He smiles against my smile and pulls away, levelling his face with mine.

"You're going to have a problem then. No one is less sensitive than you" he says, a grin on his face. I open my mouth to protest but he leans down, capturing my lips with his and stopping me from arguing.

I melt at once into his arms, kissing him back. I have literally no control when it comes to him and he knows this very well. Our kiss is slow yet passionate and I'm starting to really get into it when he pulls back; someone needs control. I pout and he grins, kissing the tip of my nose affectionately.

"You want to watch the rest of the film?" I ask, wrapping my arms around his neck. He shrugs.

"Don't mind. I was only watching it because you weren't here and I was bored" he says, his fingers gently rubbing circles on my hips. I shiver and turn to the computer, trying to distract himself from him. I bet he's grinning at my blush but I concentrate on playing the DVD on the computer.

"Damn it! When was it last playing?" I ask frustrated as the DVD refuses to be helpful. Nine laughs and shuts the screen again.

"Don't worry; I don't really want to watch it anymore. But let's see what you bought. Anything there for me..?" he says, trailing off suggestively paired with a wicked grin. I roll my eyes and get up from his lap.

"Maybe..." I say, walking over to the bags. He perks up, thinking I have a small sexy outfit in there for him. I hide my grin as I rifle through a suggestive looking bag and pick something out. He's probably really hopeful that it's lingerie or something.

"Here" I say, throwing him a small bag. He looks inside eagerly but then shakes his head when he sees what it is.

"Socks? Really?" he says, raising his eyebrow. I laugh and cross my arms.

"What did you think it was?" I ask sweetly, knowing _exactly_ what he thought it was. He shakes his head and turns back to the film.

"Maybe we should watch the rest of the film after all..."

Xxx

The girl sleeps on as though nothing is going on, as though there aren't unnatural _things_ about to come and kill her. She smiles in her sleep and the door slowly begins to open. I whimper and fight the urge to close my eyes and cover my ears.

I'm curled up in bed, the blanket pulled up to my chin. I'm clutching a pillow and my eyes peek out from the top. The room is completely dark and I can't see anything but the screen.

"Hey, I-" the door bursts open and I scream, jumping about a foot in the air. Nine stares at me shocked and then laughs, shaking his head.

"I got popcorn" Nine says, as if that fixes everything and will make me feel better. He shuts the door and comes back over to the bed. He climbs in and at once I ditch the pillow for him, clinging to him. He laughs again, slightly shocked and pleased, but wraps a secure arm around me. I snuggle closer, the horror film a lot more manageable now he's here.

Because if any unnatural thing decides to attack _us,_ they'll have to go through Nine first...

I think I'm being a bit illogical.

The _thing_ on the screen approaches the girl, a wicked looking axe in its hands. Nine looks on excitedly but I cringe against his chest, burying my face into his t-shirt. I hear the screams on the screen and try not to whimper.

Ok, I might be able to kill mogs and withstand torture, but I _hate_ horror films.

"Not enjoying it, huh?" Nine asks, stroking the hair back from my face. I nod as he casually eats popcorn, not bothered by anything at all. In fact, he seems to be enjoying this.

"I don't like horror films" I whisper, cringing again when a particularly big gush of blood spurts out on the screen. Nine laughs as he continues to eat popcorn.

"This is so shit that it's hilarious!" he says, shaking his head.

"_I_ don't think it's funny" I say, my voice low and scared. Nine finally begins to realise how scared I am and looks down at me, his eyes tender.

"It's not real" he reassures me. I nod and then recoil as a gun is shot and we watch somebody's head explode. This is _gross._

"Why do people enjoy this?!" I exclaim, nibbling a bit of popcorn for comfort. It doesn't work so I resort to attempting to get closer to Nine. Unfortunately, it's not possible because I'm as close as I can ever get.

"It's funny because it's so stupid. No one could survive that shot but yet they're still alive" Nine says, chortling at the screen as more people are killed.

"Death is _not_ a joke" I say, pulling the covers closer to me. Nine nods seriously and then presses a button on the remote, realising I'm going to be having panic attacks all night. The film pauses and he turns to me, gently stroking my face.

"Let's watch something else; you're not enjoying this at all" he says. I sigh in frustration as I sit up, so much better now the film is over.

"But you don't like sad films and I hate horrors. There's probably nothing we both agree to like!" I say frustrated and maybe a bit dramatic. He laughs and pulls me to him, a thoughtful look on his face.

"We could watch comedies..." he says but I shake my head.

"Too cheesy"

"Sci-fi?"

"Too stupid, _we're_ technically sci-fi"

"Um, documentaries?"

"Really, Nine. Really?"

"Sorry...action?"

"Oooh, promising... Jason Bourne?"

"Deal" Nine says, swinging out of bed to get the DVD. I smile and lie back against the pillows, admiring him. Sometimes I take him for granted and I really shouldn't. He's so special and so important to me. He's a lot deeper than most people credit him to be and he only really shows me that side of him.

And yes, I admit it; he's gorgeous with a body to die for.

He gets back into bed and the lights go out again, both of us tense with excitement for the film. This is our favourite; we never get sick of it. Despite having been in a war and fighting mogs, we still like seeing action like this. I think Nine dreams that he could be like Jason Bourne or James Bond; that he could be a badass spy.

"Five?" Nine murmurs, his voice low.

"Yes?" I reply, our hands meeting under the covers.

"I don't really like horrors either... you just get so scared and well, guys like feeling strong and protective when our girlfriends are like that" he says. I roll my eyes and snuggle close to him, his strong arm wrapped around me at once.

"If you wanted to hold me, you should have just said" I say. He laughs as the film starts.

"Yeah but it's not the same when the girl's not scared" he says. There's silence for a few moments and then I speak.

"I don't think you count as 'strong and protective' when you cry at sad films" I say. He sighs.

"It was one time! I will never cry at films ever again!" he protests.

And then we watched 'Marley & Me.

* * *

**By the way, I haven't actually watched 'Marley and Me'. Is it as sad as people say?**

**Hope you enjoyed!**

**Please review!**


	10. Surprise

**Disclaimer: I don't own Lorien Legacies...**

**Hi guys!**

**Thank you all sooooo much for the reviews! I love them and I'm so glad you take the time to support my story :) thank you!**

**Sorry for not updating sooner :( I'm actually finding it so hard to write at the moment and I feel like my chapters aren't very good. **

**Don't worry though, I'm not giving up on my stories. I do intend to finish 'The Return to Lorien'. I'm sure once I get back to college (high school in the US), all I'll want to do is write :)**

**Also, this was supposed to be a different one-shot with 4/6 but the thought has been stuck in my mind for a while and I thought I'd write it.**

**Read on and hopefully enjoy!**

***They're in Chicago after the war***

* * *

Eight

I march down the busy shopping street in Chicago, frantically looking in all the shop windows to see if anything stands out. I've been looking for hours but nothing seems to work; I need inspiration.

Tomorrow, it's Marina's birthday and I want to get her something really special, something with a lot of thought behind it. I bought a small necklace but it's not enough; we've been together for two years and I need to get her something more.

My phone rings and I quickly look at it, wondering who it is. _Five _appears on my screen and I answer it, wondering if she has anything for me. I've been begging both her and Six for help but they find my cluelessness hilarious.

"Hello" I reply, my voice terse. I'm standing in the middle of the pavement, a frown on my face as shoppers bustle around me.

"Found anything yet?" Five's smug voice comes through the phone. She's got Marina a present but won't tell me what. She says it's _amazing._ That does not make me feel better at all, in fact I just feel terrible. What kind of boyfriend am I?

"No" I moan, shoving a hand through my hair. "Just one measly necklace and I'm sure someone else has got her a bit of jewellery" I complain. Five laughs through the phone and my glare intensifies.

"Yep, Ella did. It's sweet, a nice little bracelet" she answers. I groan and collapse on a nearby bench.

"Maybe I should get her clothes" I say desperately, grasping for ideas. Five laughs again, finding this funny.

"What size is she? What kind of clothes does she like?" Five challenges. I shake my head, knowing it was a desperate effort. Like I know what size Marina wears.

"Can't you help me?" I beg. I can imagine her rolling her eyes.

"I _did!_ But you said it was all wrong!" she accuses me. To be fair, I can't see Marina finding a book on criminal psychology fascinating like Five does.

"You'll find something" she reassures me. I nod, even though she can't see me. "Look, don't worry, this is Marina..." she continues to say but my eyes have landed on a shop opposite the street. A pet shop. It's not a small one but one of the big ones that sells animals and not just supplies.

I know it sounds stupid to get Marina a pet when we have BK and when some of the other Chimaera sometimes drop in (I swear they're just like people; coming in and out whenever they want). Yet I can't help but notice how she always _has_ to look after a stray animal and heal their injuries. She _always_ feeds the pigeons, even though they can be annoying at times.

"Eight, are you listening?" I zone back in on the conversation.

"Oh sorry. I think I found something" I say. Five whoops on the other side.

"See, I was right!" she says smugly. I quickly say goodbye and hang up, intent on going to the shop. I cross the road, sort of lost in my own world which means I nearly get killed only twice.

I enter the shop and at once the smells of animals hit me. The scent of dog food hits me but it's not that unpleasant. It's just different. The noise is loud and I can hear the birds chirping in their cages. It makes me sad to see them like that; after India and seeing the freedom of the animals, I hate seeing animals cooped up.

"Hi, can I help you?" I look up and see a woman in her fifties standing nearby, wearing a shop t-shirt. I smile sheepishly, guessing I look lost.

"Um, I need a present for my girlfriend" I explain. The woman laughs and nods.

"Loves animals, huh?" she asks. I nod, looking around amazed by the place; I've never been in a pet shop before. The woman crosses her arms.

"Well, we have some rabbits down this way" she says, pointing down one aisle. I smile again.

"I was thinking of a dog actually" I say. She nods in understanding and begins to lead me down a separate aisle, to where there are some pens with puppies in. They begin to bark and yap when they see me and I can't help but smile at them. Marina could spend days, no weeks, here.

"These are golden retriever puppies" the woman says. I look down at the little puppies, desperate for my attention. They clamber over each other, barking at me excitedly. They're adorable but not what I was looking for.

"I'll let you have a look" the woman says, understanding I don't want to be pressured. I move down the aisle, feeling like a terrible person as I move away from each pen of puppies, hearing them whine in protest. If Marina were here, she would take every one.

I realise with a shock that I've reached the end of the aisle but none of the puppies stood out for me. They were all so cute but which one to get? I bite my lip in worry. Earlier I had no choice, now I have too much.

Suddenly, I hear another whine but one that's so different from every other puppy here. This one's filled with pain and sadness; I can tell that even though it's an animal. I move away from the aisle and towards the whine, louder as I draw nearer. My heart melts to hear such a sad animal.

I reach the back of the shop, a door partly open. I peer through and the shop assistant looks up at me. She's knelt on the floor, stroking a small puppy on a blanket. It's a brown and white cocker spaniel with big brown eyes. At first, I wonder why it's not out with the other puppies and then I see its legs.

They've clearly been broken and don't work anymore. They lie limply whilst the young puppy tries to roll around but it simply can't. My heart breaks to see this small puppy so broken and sad.

"He was hit by a car when he was very young and once his owners realised he couldn't get better, they abandoned him" the woman explains. She doesn't even seem angry that I burst into this room.

"What's he called?" I ask, bending down and stroking the little puppy. It whines happily and I know I'm sold. I _have_ to get this dog for Marina, who just so happens to heal.

"Lucky, ironically" the woman says sadly. She shakes her head and smiles at me. "So have you found a dog of your choice?" she asks. I look up and smile.

"Yeah, I have"

Xxx

Convincing the shop assistants that I was not joking was hard. Convincing them I wasn't a miracle was even harder. They seemed so stunned to think that anyone would buy a crippled dog. And to be honest, if I didn't know Marina could save this dog, I wouldn't have bought it.

I carefully carry the dog down the street; Lucky's thrilled to be have chosen and he barks excitedly. He's not heavy with my strength but I still have to be careful. I also have two bags full of dog food, collar, lead and all the other stuff a dog needs. It had been easy to buy the dog; the assistants were just so happy that someone was buying Lucky. And with all the money we were given from Lorien, price is not a problem for me.

I can't wait to give this present to Marina. She won't stop smiling.

I reach the bottom of the John Hancock Centre, walking quickly through the foyer. I know I can let the dog stay in the Cepans' apartment, just below the Lecture Hall. We now have three floors to ourselves which is awesome.

"Hey, anyone here?" I call, once I've reached their floor. Crayton looks up from his computer and has a double take when he sees me with the dog.

"What the..?!" he says, stunned. I grin and the dog licks my face. It barks happily, despite the pain it must be feeling it its legs.

"Aww, he's so cute" Five appears, walking over. I eye her suspiciously; she must have read my mind and waited for me here. She can be so annoying at times and she knows it. She uses it as her weapon, I swear.

"Do you think Marina will like him?" I ask, letting Five stroke Lucky. The shop assistant has no idea just how truthful the name is. The dog is so lucky to have an owner like Marina.

"She'll love him... Won't she? Who couldn't love you?" she says to the dog. I laugh and shake my head, amused by Five.

"Anyway, do you think he can stay here tonight? I want to surprise her tomorrow morning with him" I say, looking at Crayton. He nods and laughs, coming over to inspect the dog. The dog barks happily and tries to wag it's tail but it can't.

"What's wrong with his legs?" Five asks, then gasps when she sees the uneven bones. She shakes her head sadly.

"Poor little thing. Luckily we have Marina, huh?" she says. I grin and nod, petting the dog's head.

This is going to be the most spoilt dog in the world.

Xxx

"Ok, stop, _stop"_

Trying to persuade the dog to be good is going to be so hard. Lucky stares up at me sadly as he chews one of Sandor's ridiculously expensive pillows.

"I just have to give her one present and then I'll be back. Don't go anywhere" I whisper to the dog, despite it not being able to understand me. As if the dog can go anywhere with his useless legs.

I back off a bit and the dog begins to whine, causing me to teleport over quickly. I bend down and stroke its head gently, melting when Lucky sets his big brown eyes on me. Oh damn, he is going to have Marina wrapped around his little finger. Or paw in his case.

"I promise, just be quiet. You'll meet her soon" I whisper. The dog puts his face down on his paws, staring at me sadly. I grin at this sign of agreement and quickly back off, teleporting to mine and Marina's room. There's no sound of the dog so Lucky must have agreed with me.

I slowly open the door, not wanting to wake Marina roughly. She's stretching her arms out, her eyes scrunched up against the light. I feel a tender smile come to my face as I teleport over to her.

"Happy Birthday" I say, leaning down and pressing a kiss against Marina's lips. Despite only just having woken up, she smiles and winds her arms around me, kissing me back. I'm sort of distracted to really get into it, looking forward to giving her the dog.

"Good morning" she says, when we pull apart. I smile and we both sit up, Marina leaning against the wall whilst I sit next to her on the edge of the bed.

"Don't I get another kiss? It _is_ my birthday after all" she says. I laugh and shake my head in mock-disapproval. But I still lean forward and give her a light kiss on her lips. She pouts at the shortness and then her face lights up.

"Do I get my present now?" she asks, smiling cheekily.

"Someone's greedy" I reply and she laughs as I pass her the little box with the necklace inside.

"Aw, Eight. This is so sweet!" Marina says, looking inside and pulling out the delicate chain with the small heart on the end. Like I said, unoriginal, but I didn't know what else to get her.

"Do you like it? I didn't know what to get you" I admit.

She smiles sweetly and turns her back to me, passing me the chain. She holds her hair up whilst I clasp the chain around her neck. I lean down and press a small kiss against the nape of her neck and she shivers. I try to hide my grin when she turns back around but I can't and she rolls her eyes.

"I've got something else for you... let me just get it" I say. I teleport to the lounge, where I left Lucky for five minutes. I had picked him up from the other flat earlier when Marina was fast asleep.

I pick the dog up, leaving the rest of the stuff behind. We won't need that just now. Lucky's ears pick up and I swear the dog would grin if he could. It's like he knows he's about to meet the kindest person in the world. I go to our door the normal way and slowly open it, making sure Marina won't see the dog.

"Close your eyes" I order her. I know she'll obey and she won't read my mind to find out what I'm hiding, unlike _some_ people.

"Ok, now I'm excited" Marina says as I walk back into the room. I close the door and then stand in front of her with the dog. She frowns because I bet she can hear the dog panting.

"Ok, now" I announce, so excited I'm trembling.

Her eyes open and then widen when she sees the dog. Her mouth drops open and she simply stares at Lucky. I stand there getting worried after a while; does she not like him?

She suddenly jumps up and rushes to me with superspeed, flinging her arms around the both of us but careful not to crush the dog. She's smiling widely and before I can breathe a sigh of relief, her lips are on mine. I kiss her back until a wet nose pushes its way in between us. Lucky whines at his lack of attention.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" she exclaims in a rush, almost jumping with excitement. I grin with relief and happiness at her complete joy.

"Aw, he's so cute" Marina says, taking the dog from me. She frowns and then cries out in distress when she sees the bad legs.

"Oh no" she breathes, sitting down on the bed, pressing her hand against the dog. Sure enough, the legs start to straighten out and I stare in wonder as Lucky's coat becomes thicker and shinier. Soon, the dog in front of us is a different one altogether.

The dog clambers up and jumps onto Marina lap, licking her face. She giggles and gently tries to push him off. Already I can see the dog is completely devoted to her.

"So, good present?" I ask, sitting on the bed next to her. Marina nods and then turns to me, a huge smile on her face. The dog has given up on licking her face and is now scouting out the room, running happily along with its new legs.

"The best" she announces. "Thank you so much, I can't say how much this means to me!" she says excitedly. I laugh at her excitement.

"What's he/she called?" she asks eagerly. I take her hand, giving it a squeeze.

"Lucky and it's a boy" I say. She grins at the name and then calls the puppy over. It bounds over to her, knocking her back on the bed. She giggles as he licks her face, yapping excitedly and wagging his tail.

"Ok, ok. My turn" I say, grabbing the dog and putting him on the floor. He runs away again, settling himself on a blanket in the corner. Marina smiles up at me.

"Thank you so so much! Ah, this is crazy!" she exclaims. Her face must be hurting from her smile.

She's about to talk again, probably how grateful she is when I lean down and press my lips to hers. She leans up and the intensity picks up, both of us kissing more seriously whilst completely forgetting the dog.

Suddenly, something throws itself at me, knocking me off Marina. I look up confused as Lucky stands over a laughing Marina with a look saying 'back off, she's mine'. I try to push him away but he simply lies down next to Marina, his paws on her arm. He must be looking at her with the biggest eyes because she shakes her head at my attempts to move him away.

"You can't move him, he's too cute" she protests. I groan, lying back on the bed.

"I'll have to lock him out every time he disturbs us" I say, mock-sadly.

That didn't help. Both Lucky and I have made it a competition for Marina's attention.

And guess who always wins?

Not me.

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed. I just thought Eight would get Marina a dog :)**

**Hope you enjoyed and please review!**


	11. What if?

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Lorien Legacies...**

**Hi guys!**

**Thank you all sooooo much for all the reviews! I really loved all of them since they're all so supportive and kind. Thank you!**

**Secondly, Five gave Marina some art stuff, since Marina loves to paint. I'm not an artist so I can't really go into detail :(**

**VERY IMPORTANT:**

**This one-shot is very different from all the others. It's a Four/Six and was inspired by _I am number four: Earth 2_ by Back2backAgain (you should read it, it's amazing!). I'm not taking the plot, just the idea of what it would be like if Lorien was never attacked. This is one part of a two part mini-story about their lives on Lorien. They're going to be the future Elders which is why they're called numbers; it's easier that way :D**

**So read on and enjoy!**

* * *

Four

"Four! Have you been listening to anything I've been saying?!"

I look up at the sound of my name and blush when I see the whole class looking at me. I try to remember what the teacher was talking about but I can't remember a thing. I had been phasing out, thinking about everything but the lesson.

"Um, something about the Great Peace?" I say nervously, hating being the centre of attention. My teacher, Cepan Fords, shakes his head and gestures for me to stand up which I do reluctantly.

"Perhaps you'd like to share what had been so interesting?" he asks, looking at me expectantly. I blush and look down at my desk, wishing the floor would swallow me up. Lorien is a peaceful planet and the Loric are so nice, but I think teachers are a different species. They're abnormally cruel for Loric people.

"Um, well, I was thinking about...um" I stutter on my answer.

"Probably Six" someone calls and the class bursts into laughter. I blush further and long for the ground to swallow me up.

"That's enough!" barks Cepan Fords to the class. He looks at me disappointed. "Try to concentrate in lesson and not on your girlfriend, Four" he says. I nod quickly and sit down at once, trying to ignore the whispers behind my back.

Three smiles sympathetically at me and kindly offers me his impeccable notes to copy from. I smile at him gratefully as I begin to write them out, blocking out the rest of the class. History is my least favourite subject but I have to go to it. As a future Loric Elder, I have no choice; I need a good education.

"Let's hope Six doesn't hear about this" Three whispers to me.

I nod wearily, already flushing at the thought of her reaction. The thing is, we're not dating at all. We're just good friends but last week I got _a little_ drunk at a friends' party and I tried to kiss her. Things haven't been the same since and I think she's avoiding me as much as possible. My deep love for her is making the whole thing even more painful for me.

The bell finally rings and I slowly pack up, not wanting to face the rumours outside. I might be a future Elder but that just means more attention is on me. And ever since my epic fail with Six last week, I've become more popular with rumours.

"Hey, Dude. Why so glum?" I look up as Nine ambles over to me, a grin on his face. He thinks the whole situation concerning my love life is hilarious but then he never takes anything seriously.

"Shit in class" I say. He shrugs and winks at a couple of giggling girls by their lockers. The future Elder thing has come in handy for him when he wants to make out with a girl. That and his pretty impressive physique. Once Loric marry, it's for life, yet the younger generations are more liberal now. We tend to have more relationships before settling down; Nine's already had a couple of girlfriends.

Not that any were serious for him.

I notice Three has already gone ahead to meet the others; he always says I'm so slow. I just don't want to face Six earlier than I have to. I want to spare myself some humiliation.

"Don't worry, they're just jealous that you can even talk to Six" Nine says, trying to be kind but I can see the glint of amusement in his eyes.

"Here it comes, the punch line" I say, waiting for him to say something 'funny'. He laughs but shakes his head.

"I'm trying to be nice from now on" he says seriously. I look at him with my eyebrow raised. He crumbles and grins sheepishly.

"Five and I made a bet" he admits. I roll my eyes; they love to argue with one another or make bets. Five usually wins much to Nine's annoyance.

"Oh yeah? What's your side? To not make out with a girl for a week" I say cheekily. Nine laughs and shakes his head as we enter the cafeteria. I try not to look at our table but I can't. I breathe a sigh of relief when I notice Six isn't there.

"No... if it was I would already have broken it. Like I said earlier, it's to be a nicer person and not make inappropriate jokes that can be offensive" he says as we make our way over to grab some food. I take a tray and begin to pile on chips and a burger. Nine does the same but goes for even more food than me. It's a good thing he likes to train.

"And Five's side of the bet?" I ask, leaving to go to our table in the corner. All of us future Elders, or Ten, as we call ourselves sit at our own table. We prefer to keep to ourselves since it's easier; people tend to judge us a lot.

"To not insult me for a week" he says smugly. I roll my eyes; they always make bets that manage to be broken in less than a day.

"Well good luck. I hope the prize is worth it" I say.

"Sure is. Free meal paid by the other" he says. I nod in appreciation of the prize. Both Five and Nine love to eat so whoever is paying will need to save up. Nine grins as we reach our table, sitting down next to Eight. I sit opposite him, next to Two, who's reading a magazine with Ten. They're giggling over an article.

"Hey guys. How's life?" Nine asks dramatically, immediately starting to eat. Seven rolls her eyes as she steals a chip from Eight's plate.

"Better now. Just had a shift at work" she says, chewing on her chip.

I nod as I take a bite out of my burger. Seven has a part-time job at a small coffee shop in the Capital; she takes shifts whenever she has a free lesson. Despite actually having a job, she doesn't enjoy it much since she has to run around a lot after angry customers and the pay's not as good as it should be.

"That explains the smell" Nine says, referring to the coffee scent that always sticks to her after a shift. Seven flushes whilst Eight rolls his eyes, wrapping an arm around his girlfriend's waist protectively.

"Well, I like the smell of coffee" he says, kissing her cheek and making Seven blush further.

"Good thing you're the one dating her then" I say. Eight sticks his tongue up at me and I grin. At least I still have my friends, even if Six is completely ignoring me now.

"Hey, Four! Where's Six?!" I clench my jaw and glare at the two guys walking by my table. They're only teasing but it still pisses me off.

"Who else knows about this?" I groan, putting my head in my hands. Nine laughs and shrugs.

"Everyone. Come on, you gotta admit it's funny" he says. I look up at him annoyed.

"Funny? The girl I love is completely ignoring me and probably hates me! You think that's funny? Have you ever loved someone like I love Six?" I demand. Nine pales a little and I wonder if I've touched a nerve when a tray clatters onto the table.

Six sits down nearby, her eyes stormy and her face emotionless. I turn bright red in humiliation; she just heard my declaration of love for her! There's an awkward silence around the table and then Nine clears his throat.

"So...hey Six" he says. Even he can sense the tension in the air. She glares at the table but manages a nod at him.

"Hey" she replies, her voice as cold as her eyes. I quickly stand up, unable to bear the humiliation.

"Um, see you later" I manage to say to the others, before I rush out of the room, ignoring the laughter.

Xxx

Six

"So, he said he loved you?"

I sigh and brush my tangled hair, nodding at Five. She purses her lips and shrugs, hopping onto the sinks in boredom.

"That's not such a bad thing" Seven says on my other side, touching up her eyeliner, not that she needs it. We're hiding in the toilets at the shopping centre in the Capital. We had an early finish today and decided to go shopping, much to Five's annoyance. Sometimes, I wonder if she's really a girl.

"It's terrible!" I rant, finally releasing my inner feelings. "Do you have any idea how awkward this is?! We used to be best friends and now, well...now we don't even talk properly!" I say, sadness welling up in me.

"Don't worry, Nine and I never talk properly and I'm fine" Five says absently. I glare at her but she doesn't even look worried.

"This is not the same and you know it" I say. Five shrugs whilst Seven takes my hand in sympathy.

"Um, do you guys want a coffee? I know Two and Ten are in Costa" she says, looking at Five pointedly. Five sighs but hops down.

"Yeah, yeah, getting the message. I'll get your usuals" she says, heading out of the door. I relax once she's gone; she doesn't make things easy.

"She just doesn't understand... it's not her fault she's never had any feelings for someone" Seven says, putting her eyeliner back in her bag. I nod but still bite my lip in distress.

"I know but it's not her that annoys me. It's this whole damn situation" I say. Seven nods and looks away.

"Maybe you should give Four a go. You get on well, he's clever, he gets you and well, he's pretty hot" she reasons. I laugh despite myself.

"Seven! You're already dating!" I say, pretending to be shocked. She grins and pulls her bag onto her shoulder.

"Eight doesn't mind... I love him so he doesn't care if I think another guy's hot. Besides, _you _think he's good-looking too" she says. I groan and turn away from her amused eyes. Damn mind control. The Garde who possess that Legacy have lethal knowledge over us other Loric.

"Doesn't mean I love him" I say as we begin to make our way out of the toilets. We walk slowly, needing to have this chat before meeting up with Five and the other girls.

"Well, I didn't like Eight romantically when he first asked me out" Seven says. I raise my eyebrow at her and she blushes.

"Ok, I liked him a little bit" she amends. I cross my arms with a smirk and she caves.

"_Ok!_ I liked him a lot" she admits but then she turns to me. "But you like really Four, you're just wimping out and ignoring it" she accuses.

I open my mouth to protest but then I really think about it. Am I being naive and oblivious? I mean, Four and I have always been friends but is there something more for me? Is she right and I'm just trying to protect myself?

"How do I know if I do like him?" I ask quietly. Seven laughs at my thoughtful face.

"Trust me, you'll know" she says, grinning smugly at me. I shove her gently.

"Shut up" I mutter half-heartedly. "Do you think I should call him?" I ask nervously. Seven shrugs as we approach the shop.

"Probably. He's a little terrified of you right now, so you'll need to be the one to make the move" she says. I laugh as we enter and shake my head.

"He's an idiot" I say, but there's a tone of affection in there I didn't notice before.

Maybe Seven's right. Maybe I always did like him but I never noticed.

Xxx

Four

I sit nervously in the stall, waiting for Six to arrive. When she called me last night asking to talk, I was literally on a high all evening. Brandon gave up with legacy training, realising I wasn't going to be constructive. Instead, I got a lesson on good dating techniques which didn't help calm my excitement at all.

I'm not the only one who's looking forward to this. I know the some of the Ten are here, wondering what Six wants to talk about. Nine is being _oh so subtle_, drinking a coffee in 'disguise' whilst Five is just as _unobvious_ next to him. Really, those two are ridiculous. Seven is working here and Eight is here to see her, not me. That's what he said anyway but I know he's watching me. They all are.

"Here you go" I look up as Seven hands me my cappuccino. I smile as I take it, my hands shaking. I look at the clock on the wall.

"She will come, won't she?" I ask, my feet tapping against the floor. Seven rolls her eyes as she places Six's hot chocolate down in front of me.

"She's coming right now" she says, smiling kindly at me as she leaves again. I look over and see Six enter. She's only wearing jeans and a plain jumper but she looks like an angel to me. I stand up as she enters and then awkwardly sit down again as she joins me. I can hear Five and Nine laughing and my face heats up.

"Um, hey" I say, my voice husky. Six smiles despite herself, our years of friendship settling us in a natural routine.

"I wonder where the others are" she says sarcastically, rolling her eyes. I grin, relaxing slightly.

"How's school?" I ask, small talk easier to deal with. She shrugs and leans back, looking calm but there's a light in her eyes that shows just how uptight she is.

"It's ok...it's school. I'm just lucky I have Two and Seven in most of my classes, they're good to copy off" she says. I laugh and nod, taking a sip from my scolding drink. With my Lumen, I don't notice the heat.

"Same, Three is like a walking library" I say. Three loves to research and work on projects. I'm not sure how many pieces of homework Nine has paid him to do but Three is definitely richer than most of us.

"So, how's Katarina?" I ask. Six shrugs.

"She's ok... settling in with Marc" she says, referring to her Cepans' new boyfriend. I nod and look away, not sure what else to say.

"Look, Four..." Six says. I turn back to her, unsure of what she's going to say.

"I'm sorry, for kissing you... it was so stupid of me" I say in a rush. Her face freezes in shock but then she smiles gently, taking a small sip from her drink.

"I didn't mind" she whispers so quietly. I look at her stunned and thrilled, too excited to really pay attention to Eight and Nine betting on whether we'll go out or not.

However, it does stick in my mind that Nine's betting against me. What happened to moral support and being kind?

"But you've been ignoring me..." I say, looking at her confused. She shrugs and looks up at me.

"Four, sometimes people get feelings... but it doesn't mean they understand them" she says. I nod and then grin.

"So you like me?" I ask, feeling more confident. She sighs and takes my hand.

"I don't know Four. I'm not really lovey-dovey and all that shit" she says. I nod but not giving up my hope.

"So, you need time?" I push, looking at her carefully. She nods slowly.

"Yeah, maybe... I'm sorry Four" she whispers. I squeeze her hand and smile at her.

"I understand it's hard. Whenever you need me, just say" I tell her gently. She nods shakily.

"I'm sorry" she mutters. I sigh and take a sip from my drink. She's clearly confused with her feelings for me but this is so frustrating for me.

"Do you want to go on a date?" I ask. She opens her mouth to protest but I continue. "Look, not all relationships start with deep love" I reason. She sets her mouth angrily and glares at me.

"I knew you'd be like this! Assuming we're going to date and fall in love" she says. I groan and put my head in my hands, frustrated by what I said. Why did I push her?!

"Oh I'm sorry if my feelings are so inconvenient to you" I say angrily, slamming my hand down on the table. She stands up and glares at me, her own anger taking over.

"You're being pathetic! Just because you can't get what you want!" she yells. I see other customers turn around to look at us but I can't stop myself.

"_I'm _being pathetic! _You _can't seem to make your damn mind up!" I yell back. Seven scurries over to us, looking at us nervously.

"Both of you keep it down!" she hisses, not wanting her boss to get angry with her. I glare at Six one last time and then turn away.

"Keep the change" I say to Seven, shoving money into her hands. I storm out of the shop, overwhelmed by anger with Six. Why can't she just accept her feelings?! I hear customers in the shop talking in shock but Nine's voice talking to Eight stands out.

"Pay up, I won"

* * *

**So, hope you enjoyed!**

**The next part will be coming up soon :) just say what else you want in there: maybe more Nine/Five or Seven/Eight... I'll happily take on suggestions!**

**Please review!**


	12. Interview

Disclaimer: I don't own Lorien Legacies.

Hi guys!

Sorry I haven't updated this story in _ages_! I've the ideas but just not the time! :( and I have also been concentrating on my other story because thats the more popular one.

Thank you all sooooo much for your reviews :D I'm really glad you enjoy these one-shots because I love writing them :D please keep up with the reviews :D

**This one-shot is inspired by Hunger Games. I was just reading the interview bit when I imagined the Garde getting one after they'd won the war and were famous. It's such a random idea but I thought I'd give it a go :)**

* * *

Marina

Breathe in. Breathe out.

My heart is pounding and my breath coming in gasps. My hands are sweating like crazy, no matter how many times I dry them. My vision's funny, almost like I'm about to faint.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

_Five minutes._

Oh god, I can't do this! I can't go out there and pretend that I'm confident and funny and witty... I can't do this. I'm going to humiliate myself.

Five months ago, information about Lorien, Mogadore and the war were released to the public as an eye opener about the universe. Since then, us Loric have been seen as heroes and interviews, magazine shoots and all sorts have flooded in; we're basically celebrities. Then someone had this _brilliant _idea of having a live interview with all nine of us, one at a time.

Live. Interview... oh god.

I can feel my breathing pick up again and the horribly familiar feeling of failing comes over me. I want to make myself and the others proud but I find it hard enough to be confident in front of them at times, let alone in front of the whole world.

I stand up shakily and go over to the mirror, admiring the outfit; I might as well look nice if I'm going to embarrass myself. My hair's falling loose so I suppose I can cover my face enough if I want to. I'm wearing a floaty blue dress that goes to my knees and is nice enough I suppose. I won the battle not to wear heels. I would trip and embarrass myself before I'd even begun talking.

"Ok, sweetie, time to go" I turn in a panic to my temporary manager, who's looking after me for today. She smiles at me kindly as she takes my hand, leading me towards my doom.

"I don't think I can do this" I say, my voice high and squeaky. She laughs gently and shakes her head.

"The newbies always say that... but you'll be fine" she says as she leads me to a side room, the corridor leading me to the stage very close. "Here, you can watch your friends go first" she says, switching on a screen at the top.

I sit down on a nearby stage as the presenter riles the audience up with a short clip about the war. I feel tears of anger fill my eyes as I watch it; they're treating this war as though it's a film! I see actors and actresses playing us as we see some of the Cepans die... I have to turn away, sure I'll be sick.

It wasn't a film, it was real life.

"So, you ready to meet them?!" the presenter shouts into his microphone, making the audience of about a 1,000 cheer and deafening me. I can feel my thin control begin to crumble since I know there will be a much bigger audience watching this at home.

"First up, Number Two!" the presenter shouts and the crowd goes wild as the show begins.

Xxx

Right from the start, the others are amazing in their own way. They all have such different and complex personalities compared to me. Two was so shy and timid but since she's the youngest and looked so cute, she got away with it. After a while, she gained her confidence and managed to show her intelligent and kind side. The audience fell in love with her in seconds.

Three was funny and made a couple of jokes which cheered everyone up. He just had such a relaxed and cheerful personality that nobody really cared that his answers weren't that great compared to Two's. John was charming and got on amazingly with the presenter. I think they gave him extra time simply because of his dramatic love story and his great charisma.

Five was completely different. She didn't go out to please and didn't smile once. She gave short answers yet people were still fascinated by her. They loved her attitude which was so different from the others. I would do the same but I can't pull it off She just has these features that look tough and hard whilst I look innocent.

Six was funny but was clearly displayed as the badass one. She got along well with the guy but showed her intelligence, wittiness and fighting spirit. How can I follow her performance?

"Number Seven also known as Marina!"

That's my cue.

I walk out onto the stage, my legs shaking so badly. I enter the limelight and am blinded by the flashing lights of the studio and the cameras. I slowly walk forwards until I see the presenter, Mark White, smiling at me. I walk over there, overwhelmed by the audience, the noise... everything.

I sit down, everything a little fuzzy for me. I feel as though I'm in a different world where the sound is muted. Fortunately, everything starts coming back to me and I smile in relief.

I turn to Mark who looks at me expectantly. Oh god, he asked me a question!

"W-what?" I stutter, my cheeks flushing. The audience roars with laughter and I clench my hands together, not sure if they're being cruel or genuinely think I was funny.

"Ah, someone's a little nervous. I asked what you like most about Earth" he says. I don't know what to say so I simply reply with the first thing that comes to mind.

"The food" I reply, my voice higher than usual. Everyone bursts out laughing again and I'm pretty sure my face is still red. I wish Eight were here... everything would be so much better.

"The food, huh. So what's your favourite?" Mark asks me. Great, I'm stuck.

"Chinese takeaway" I reply, again saying the first thing that came to mind. There's more laughter from the audience and I sigh in relief. Mark grins and nods; judging by his mind, he thinks i'm sweet. That's better than stupid and clumsy.

"What's it like now the war's over?" he asks me, grinning at me. I shrug and sigh, knowing I need to talk a bit more.

"Weird. It's strange to not have a cause that we have to risk our lives for... it's weird being able to relax all the time" I admit. Mark nods and smiles at me. My heart is still pounding and my voice is shaking with nerves. Also, I think my face is a permanent red.

"But you must be enjoying yourself in Chicago..." he says. I nod and shrug.

"Yeah it's great" I say, not sure what else to say. Fortunately, he's a professional and moves me on.

"A lot different from your upbringing. For those who don't know, Marina grew up in an orphanage which also passed as a convent in Spain" he says. There's a smattering of noises of sympathy from the audience and I can't help but smile.

"What was it like?" he asks. I bite my lip and look down, not sure what to say.

"Well, it was... a lot different from the others' upbringing" I say diplomatically. Mark nods but continues me on, despite my discomfort.

"Why was it different?" he asks. I sigh and look away, biting my lip.

"My Cepan gave up on Lorien. I didn't train, didn't hone my legacies, didn't know anything about my planet, didn't even know where my Chest was" I say unwillingly. Mark nods slowly.

"So, you were affectively abandoned" he says. I hesitate and then nod very slowly.

"We're also told the punishments were very harsh..." he says kindly, although I see a light in his eyes; he wants me to say more. He's annoyed by my short answers and is trying to frustrate me into saying more.

"Um, yes, I suppose... I don't really want to talk about it" I say firmly. I will not talk about being paddled on live television.

"Of course... now about Number Eight" he says, grinning at me as wolf-whistles come from the audience.

"Was it love at first sight?" Mark asks, leaning forward and grinning at me. He looks as though you can trust him but I don't for some reason. Maybe it's the strange gleam in his eyes.

"Not really" I say blushing. I carry on though; I'd rather ramble on about Eight rather than the orphanage and Adelina. "I sort of liked him but he _was_ the first Loric guy I'd met" I say. Mark laughs as well as the audience. Apparently, they love a good romance.

"But you met Nine and John and realised that you really did like Eight?" Mark asks. I laugh and shrug, still nervous as hell.

"I'm not sure to be honest. I can't really remember. I think that if I'd met Eight last or first, I still would have liked him" I admit. There's a loud "aw" from the audience and I blush, clenching my hands together. This is horrible!

"Shall we get him out to see what he says?" Mark asks the audience. There's a huge cheer and I open my mouth to protest, but then shut it again. Getting Eight out will help my confidence issue.

Hopefully.

"Number Eight, everyone!" Mark yells. I look away, praying that this will be over soon. I just want to go home and sleep, preferably with Eight next to me.

Eight walks onto the stage, grinning happily and waving at the audience. They love his show of confidence and cheer even louder. I shift a little but don't get up and giving him a cringe-worthy kiss in front of everyone, despite that being what they want.

"So, Eight!" Mark calls, as Eight sits on the big sofa next to me. I shift over a little and reach out, taking a hold of his hand. He grins reassuringly at me, squeezing my hand.

"Hey" he whispers quietly. I smile and relax, already feeling so much better now he's here. Mark smiles at us but there's definitely something off about him.

Or maybe I don't trust easily anymore.

"So, Eight. Was it love at first sight for you?" Mark asks. Both Eight and I blush as we meet each others' eyes.

This can't get any worse.

Xxx

I step off stage, sort of in a trance. I survived. I didn't trip. I didn't embarrass myself. I didn't trip.

I'm barely aware of Six barrelling into me and hugging me, saying I did such a great job. I'm only a little aware of the glass pressed into my hands and of the presenter continuing to interview Eight. I zone in, finally relaxing.

"You were amazing!" Six says, leading me to sit down as she can tell I'm overwhelmed.

"Was I?" I ask, gulping down my drink. It's alcohol, champagne to celebrate. I grin as I lean back into the pillows of the sofa.

"Yeah! You were totally cute, missing the question..." she trails off with a grin. "You were great" she says. I grin and pretend to wipe my brow.

"Phew! I was terrified" I say. Six nods and gulps her own drink.

"So was I... thank god it's over" she says. I look at her in confusion.

"You looked so confident and in control though" I say. She grins and shrugs.

"It was all a ruse... I was so scared inwardly" I laugh, literally on a high as I look at a small screen as Eight begins his own interview.

He'll be absolutely fine.

Xxx

"That was terrible!" Eight groans as he teleports around the room, his face scrunched up in annoyance and embarrassment.

"It wasn't too bad" I say diplomatically, not sure what to say. He looks at me exasperated.

"Marina, I ended up naked on stage!" he yells. I can't help but laugh and crawl forwards on the bed so I'm in front of him.

"Ok, first of all, they asked you to shape shift and secondly, it wasn't your fault that your shape shifting went wrong from nerves" I soothe, running my hands up and down his arms. He shrugs, looking too tense for my liking.

"Oh yeah, well look at these" he shoves his phone on me, his twitter account filled with tweets. I look closer at the comment he's looking at.

_I thought you were supposed to imagine the audience naked to combat fear, not do it yourself..._

I giggle a little and Eight scowls, snatching his phone away. I bite my lip as he punches a wall, furious with the way things have turned out.

"Hey, Eight" I try and get his attention but he ignores me. I sigh and get up, going over to him. I wrap my arms around his waist, leaning my head on his back.

"You were amazing with your reaction though" I say, thinking of the way he dealt with it. He had simply acted as though it was completely normal and soon had the audience in fits of laughter. He had been a natural.

"I can't show my face again" he groans, moving out of my arms and flopping on the bed. I bite my lip and grab his phone that he left on the desk.

"The comments can't all be bad..." I say, scrolling through them. I laugh at one and he looks up, curious despite himself.

"What does it say?" he asks. I grin and then read it out to him.

_"Guys... I think the real problem here is that he's TAKEN! Damn, Seven and her luck!"_ I giggle as I go over to him and sit on his lap.

"They're right, I am _very _lucky" I say, kissing his cheek as we read more. Eight begins to grin, his ego being boosted by the many comments about his good body. His cheeks are still pink though and I know it will take a while before he chills out completely.

"Anyway, people can be mean sometimes... it's just their nature. And look, they were mean about others as well" I say, showing him a couple criticising Nine and Five. I look closer and see another one, my blood running cold.

_Seven is about as interesting as dirt. Honestly don't understand the appeal about her; she's useless and pathetic._

I bite my lip as I read the harsh comment; that really hurts. I try and continue down but Eight senses the change in me and scrolls back, reading the tweet himself. His face whitens in anger and he wraps his arms tighter around me.

"They're the pathetic ones... as if they'd survive a war like you did" he says, nuzzling his face in my neck. I smile as he kisses me there, a smile appearing automatically.

"It doesn't matter... none of it matters" I say, switching the phone off. "There were so many more nice messages than horrible ones" I say, smiling at Eight and brushing some of his hair back. He shrugs and sighs, playing with my hair.

"I know, we did the damn interview and now we can relax" he says. I giggle and press my face close to his, kissing his cheek.

"Maybe they'll ask you to do naked shoots now" I suggest. He laughs and lightly kisses me on the nose.

"You want me to?" he asks, grinning wickedly. I shake my head quickly.

"Nope, you're all mine" I say. He laughs again and nods, kissing my cheek this time.

"Well, if you insist" he says, lowering his lips to mine. We kiss, our intensity picking up until we're both gasping for breath and wanting to get much closer than we are.

"By the way, the same goes for you. No naked photo shoots" he warns, grinning at me. I roll my eyes as I pull him towards the bed.

"If you insist" I say, using his earlier words.

* * *

So yeah, I hope you liked this slightly different one-shot :)

Next one-shot: It's NIne and Five's anniversary but someone might have forgotten and the other really isn't forgiving...

Please review!


	13. Anniversary

Disclaimer: I don't own Lorien Legacies...

Hi guys!

Yes, I know what a lousy updater I've been for this story. Basically, I went on holiday and thought you guys would prefer updates in my other story so this was on the back burner. But now I have more time to update... I just need ideas.

Thank you all so much for your reviews. I'm glad you liked the Interview one-shot; I enjoyed writing it. Thank you!

Btw, this chapter includes Lucky – the dog that Eight gave Marina in the Surprise one-shot. I just thought I'd remind you guys.

So read on!

* * *

Nine

I know something's up. But I don't know what.

Five's been out all day with Six, with is perfectly normal but everyone else seems to be acting weirdly. All day I've been asked strange questions and received funny looks.

What the hell is going on?

It started with Eight. I had returned back from food shopping, I was impressed that I did it too, and he had watched me with a knowing smirk.

_"Seriously, why are you still staring?!" I demand, turning on my heel and glaring at him. Lucky is in his arms and licking his face; that dog is mad. I would not want to lick his face._

_"I'm simply stunned that you're actually doing some housework" Eight replies, but there's something in his eyes that tells me he's lying._

_"Fine, if you don't want to tell me..." I trail off, hoping he'll take the bait. He doesn't and instead, focuses on trying to stop Lucky from eating his hair. I turn around, giving in._

_"Am I missing something?!" I demand again but Eight just merely smiles._

_"Interesting... pretending you have no idea" he muses. I groan and walk away._

_"You're so annoying!" I yell to him, deciding he's just winding me up. He simply laughs._

After that, it had been Marina. She was even worse and I swear had probably read my mind at some point. I had to block it off after a while; she was freaking me out.

_"Sooooo, you doing anything this evening?" she asks. I sigh and glare at her; what's with these weird questions._

_"No, why?" I reply. She furrows her brow in confusion._

_"Nothing at all?" she asks again. I groan and put my head in my hands._

_"Why do you even care?" I ask. She shrugs and smiles._

_"I don't want you to be in all the time... you need to get out and enjoy life" she says but it's clear she's only making it up._

_"What's going on?" I demand. She smiles innocently and hops down from her chair._

_"Nothing!" she sings._

After that, I had the same question from both Adam and John. I escaped to the gym where I hoped I wouldn't be bothered by anyone. These questions were starting to freak me out a little and I'm really starting to think I've missed something. A birthday, maybe?

I finally leave the gym after a couple of hours, wiping the sweat from my face and taking a long swig from my water bottle. I enter the apartment and see Six lying on a sofa, her head in John's lap. I eye him warily, annoyed after our last encounter.

"Hey, I thought you might be getting ready" Six says, sitting up with a grin. I freeze in my tracks; what have I forgotten? Were Five and I going out tonight?

"Um, what?" I ask. Six also freezes and looks at John in shock.

"He's forgotten?" she asks. John is looking at me, genuinely confused. By now, I'm seriously freaked out. Oh god, what's happening?

"What have I-" I begin when Five enters the room, a huge smile on her face.

"Happy Anniversary!" she calls.

Oh _shit!_

How the hell did I forget this? Oh shit, oh god, this is not good, not good at all.

Five is dressed in a cute little dress with a present in her hand. She's still smiling and looks so gorgeous and I fucking forgot!

God help me.

"Um, happy anniversary" I squeak back, my terrified eyes landing on John. Why didn't they give me some warning?! He looks back just as worried and then grabs Six's hand, dragging her off the sofa.

"We'll give you some privacy" he mutters, cowardly running out of the room. I wish I could.

"It's been two years!" Five announces, walking over happily. She's completely oblivious to my failure.

"Two years, huh" I manage to say before she wraps her arms around me tightly. She nods into my chest, despite the fact I'm still a little sweaty.

"I know, how have I managed?" she sighs dramatically as she tips her head back, waiting for me to kiss her. I lean down, slowly closing the distance between us. How can I get out of this?! I haven't got her a present!

I kiss her deeply, thinking of all the possible excuses that can run through my mind._ I'm really sorry, I thought it was next month? _Decent. _My brain has been high-jacked for the last two weeks so I haven't been me._ Definitely not.

"Are you ok?" she asks, pulling back. I nod quickly as she presents me with my gift. I hope it's really bad so that I can feel slightly better.

I slowly unwrap it, my hands shaking. It's a good thing I have this mental block up otherwise she would have read the problem in my mind by now. A box is revealed and I open it, already having an idea.

Perhaps the most beautiful watch I've ever seen lies there, taking my breath away. This is the exact watch I was admiring a week ago and Five must have taken note. Oh dear Lorien, please help me.

"Do you like it?" she asks, biting her lip nervously. I nod at once, smiling at her despite my panic.

"It's gorgeous... how could I not?" I say, hugging her quickly. She laughs and shrugs, pulling back and looking at me expectantly.

"Do I get mine now?" she asks cheekily. I open my mouth to answer but only a squeak comes out.

Great, Nine, just making things worse.

I continue to stare at her, fear on my face as understanding fills hers. She bites her lip and looks down, slowly nodding to herself.

"You forgot, didn't you?" she asks, her voice deadly calm. Oh dear, that's a terrible sign.

"Well, I thought it was next month..." I begin but her eyes snap up to me. They're filled with anger.

"Despite me mentioning it to you last week?!" she demands. Oh god, she did and I _still _completely forgot.

"Well, you've always said I have a bad memory" I say lamely. Bad move.

"Oh right, I'm so _sorry_" she says sarcastically, moving back with her hands on her hips. "How stupid was I to think that my boyfriend of _two years_ would _remember_ our anniversary?!" she demands, her face starting to turn red, as it does when she's angry.

It's cute but terrifying at the same time.

"I'm so-" I begin again but she laughs bitterly, making me flinch and stop.

"Oh right, _now_ you're sorry! How could you do this?! Do I not matter to you?!" she shouts, her face filled with anger... and hurt. She's genuinely upset that I've forgotten such an important thing to her. She has every right to be.

"When's my birthday?!" she demands, her hands on her lips. I'm sure everyone's listening to this.

"7th August!" I say and she throws her hands up in fury. Oh shit, I got that wrong too. I think it was the 8th come to think of it.

"You don't care! You don't care about me! I don't know why I bother with you! You don't know my birthday, you don't know our anniversary! What _do_ you know?!" she shouts. I move forward and try to grab her to stop her shouting but she moves away from me.

"What's my favourite colour?!" she yells. "Surely you must know!" she says, her voice cracking as she stares at me desperately. I feel my own control snapping.

"Red?" I whisper and she bursts into tears. I feel terrible, like I've disappointed her more than I can ever know. Which I have.

"It's blue" she replies, wiping her tears away angrily. "That's it, Nine. I can't take this anymore! What do you know about me?! Am I just an _easy_, _naive little girl_ to make out with?!" she yells. My control snaps and I move forwards desperately.

"You know you're not! I love you, Five!" I beg desperately, almost on my knees. I'm about to cry like her.

"No you don't! You don't know anything about me to love!" she shrieks and then she slaps me. I've seriously screwed up and I gladly take the hit. I deserve it.

"Just leave me alone!" she cries as she runs out of the room. I sit there on the floor as she enters the elevator. I can't believe what I've done.

The watch lies on the table next to me.

Xxx

Five

How could he?! How could he not remember?!

He doesn't know anything about me. He doesn't know my favourite colour, film, book... the stuff that most guys know about their girlfriends after two years.

I angrily brush my tears away, ashamed by my weakness. I'm sat on a bench in a park, sobbing to myself as I weakly rub my arms; I forgot to bring a jacket. I sob a little more, angry with myself more than anything.

Why do I bother?

This isn't an over-reaction from me. He's forgotten other stuff before. On the anniversary of my Cepan's death, I had sat hunched in bed crying after he'd had a huge fight with me about me being grumpy. He didn't even realise that I was suffering from the pain of Christina's death. Sure, he had made it up to me but still.

"You all right, sweetheart?" I look up to see three teenage guys nearby, clearly a little drunk. I brush some more tears away and glare at them. I'm really not in the mood for this.

"Leave me alone!" I say but my voice is shakier than I thought. I grimace as they move towards me and I get up; these bastards won't know what got them.

"I said, leave me alone" I say again, my voice more menacing. They laugh and begin to imitate me, making my voice higher than it is. I shift into a basic fighting position.

"Now, why would we do that?" the leader asks, grabbing my arm. I react instantly and throw a punch to his face, making him stumble back. A second lunges for me and grabs my arm whilst the third punches me.

I stumble back a little at the force but manage to free my arm and kick the guy. He flies back into a tree and slowly sinks in a lying position. He's out cold.

The first guy lunges forward but I smoothly duck, punching his stomach. He gasps and bends over when something smashes into my head. A bottle.

I fall to the ground, groaning as glass falls around me. I can feel blood dribbling down my head and I groan again, trying to get up. Someone grabs my arm and I try to throw them off but my head hurts too much.

_Man up, Five. You're Loric, for God's sake._

I twist and give one guy a roundhouse kick, knocking him out cold when I'm punched in the face again. The third and last guy grins cruelly at me as I fall to the ground, my head really screwed up by now. It hurts so much.

"No screaming sweetheart" he says as he reaches for me again.

Something slams into him and he's knocked to the ground, shouting in rage and fear. I watch as Nine drags him up and then easily knocks him out with one punch. Nice to know he's still got it.

"Five?" Nine's bending over me and looking at me with concern but I push him away. I'm still pissed off with him, despite the fact he sort of saved me.

"I was doing fine" I mutter, stumbling to my feet and walking away. He runs to catch me up, wrapping his arm around my waist to steady me.

"You're hurt. We need to get you to Marina" he says. I push him off again and glare at him.

"I'll be fine" and it's true. I've fought many battles with worse injuries; this one isn't a problem.

"Don't be stubborn... at least sit down" he pleads as we come up to another bench. I sigh but sit down, a little bit weaker than I'd like to admit. I've got a pretty nasty headache but I'll manage.

"I'm still angry" I inform him, crossing my arms. He must know I'm cold as he takes off his jacket and wraps it around my shoulders.

"I know... I deserve it" he says, looking down. I'm secretly pleased when I see he's put the watch on.

"Five" he begins and I sigh, looking at him. I'm still furious with him but I'll let him attempt to explain.

"What?" I mutter, wiping some alcohol from my cheek. The bottle that smashed my head still had some liquid left in it and now I stink.

"I do know you... more than you might think" he says. I scoff and glare angrily at him, my temper rising again.

"Oh really? Because you don't know-" I begin but he interrupts me, talking over me.

"I know that you _love_ coffee. You used to like it black but you prefer it now with milk. The only reason you still drink it black is to prove a point to me" he says. I close my mouth; I thought he didn't know that!

"I know you hate _Twilight_. You think Becca, or whatever her name is, is pathetic and the whole storyline is against feminism. You think the vampire dude is too protective and an idiot" he continues, making me stare at him confused. I never told him this.

"Yet you love romance. You have a whole collection of romance novels that you keep under the bed and only ever read when you think no one's noticing. Your favourite is Pride and Prejudice; it's been read the most" he says. My cheeks flush when I realise he's found my secret collection.

"You love comedy films as well as romance films yet weirdly hate rom-coms. I'm not sure how it works but it does" he says with a teasing smile.

"And..." he begins with a wicked smile. "You love One Direction. Your iPod's filled with their songs but you hid them well so I wouldn't find out" he says. I blush and look away; I've seriously lost some cool points.

"I may not know your favourite colour or film or food but I know little, important things about you... stuff no one else knows" he says, taking a hold of my hands and looking into my eyes. I sigh and then shrug, looking down.

"I know... it just hurt me, that's all" I whisper. He leans down and kisses my cheek, wrapping an arm around my waist. I don't resist and move closer to him.

"I'll make it up to you... even though I have no idea how" he mutters. I smile and roll my eyes.

"I don't need a huge present, or a fancy meal. I just want you to surprise me every now and then... show me how much you care on days where it's not permitted" I say. He frowns and nods slowly.

"Ok...do you still want a present though?"

Xxx

I'm woken gently by something touching my eyelids and then moving to my cheeks. I frown inwardly as I try to imagine what the hell this could be. The gentle touch moves to my mouth and I react instantly, punching the _thing_.

"Ow!" Nine yelps as he tumbles back. I sit up, blushing as I realise I just hit my boyfriend.

"Oops" I say, trying not to laugh as he clutches his nose. It's not bleeding or anything; he's just being a drama-queen. And anyway, he's an idiot for thinking that was a romantic way to wake me up!

Although, it was pretty sweet.

"What time is it?!" I ask groggily as I look at my clock. 5 o'clock! "Nine! Why are you up this early?!" I demand. He shrugs and looks at me sheepishly.

"Well, I was being spontaneous and trying to surprise you so I booked tickets for a week away in Paris" he says shyly. My mouth drops open and I stare at him stunned.

"You booked just now?" I ask. He rolls his eyes as he gets out of bed.

"No, ages ago. But we're leaving today... in fact in half an hour to catch our flight" he says. I stumble out of bed as well as I look around my room in a panic.

"I haven't packed!" I say. He frowns and crosses his arms.

"I didn't think of that" he mutters as I dash around, throwing stuff into a suitcase. He scratches his head in confusion as I swear under my breath whilst looking at my wardrobe; doesn't he realise I need time to choose the right clothes?!

He's such an idiot at times.

* * *

So, do you want me to do a one-shot of their trip to Paris?

Also, future one-shots include: Three/Ella, Six/Nine (before he meets Five and she gets with John), Six/Sam (maybe, not sure), Marina/Eight (during the war), One/Adam, Crayton/Ella... also would love some diferent ideas! Maybe Marina/Sam?

Anyway, please review!


	14. Papa

**D****isclaimer: I don't own Lorien legacies although i really wish I did.**

**Hi guys!**

**Thank you all sooo much for your lovely reviews! I got loads for the last one so i assume you all liked it :D As for the following one-shots, I will be doing all the ones I said including Marina and Sam but as friends. **

**This one-shot is not romantic at all but is about the relationship between Ella and Crayton. I've suddenly become really taken with the Cepan/Garde relationship and I've really wanted to write some. I'll be doing the same for: Reynolds/Eight, Marina/Adelina, Sandor/Nine and maybe Christina/Five but I don't know. Would you guys want that last one?**

**Anyway, please read on!**

* * *

Crayton

**3 years old**

"Papa"

I look down at the adorable three year old, clutching her favourite teddy bear as she gazes up at me with her big brown eyes. I smile down at her, lifting her up into my arms and placing her on my knee. She giggles and repeats my name again.

"Papa"

We're in the countryside of England, rain pouring outside as predicted. We're settled in a small little village in the middle of nowhere and since Ella is unknown to the mogs, we're safe enough. I know she loves it here, where she can play outside whenever she wants.

"Yes El?" I ask, as she moves closer to me, snuggling into my chest. She's a tiny little thing, with a shock of auburn hair that contrasts against her pale skin.

"Film?" she asks, popping her thumb in her mouth. I ruffle her hair, making her giggle again and lifting my spirits.

Things here on Earth are hard, to say the least. It's not adapting that's the problem; I've always been good at that. But I'm worried about the mogs. Do they know the nine Garde made it here and are hiding now? Are they on their way right now, prepared to take down the Garde? How are the Garde doing? Are they training, preparing for an inevitable war?

"Papa, film!" I look down at my little girl, smiling as she tries to frown up at me. She can be quite demanding at times but I love her all the same.

"What do you want to watch?" I ask, scooping her into my arms. She giggles when we become eye-level with me holding her in my arms; she's so light to me.

She shrugs, sucking her thumb again. My heart aches in pain; she shouldn't have to fight this war, it's not fair on her. She's too young to think about killing, about fighting for a planet that might not even come back to life.

Instead of moping, I put a smile on my face and deal with the little girl in my arms. She's all that matters and right now, she wants a story.

"OK, how about the Three Little Pigs?" I ask her, thinking of the cartoon she adores.

She loves that story, especially when she asks me to act it out. One rainy afternoon, we spent the whole time re-enacting the story. She had built the houses out of cardboard boxes and other things that I could find, whilst I'd had to be the wolf blowing everything down. She had loved it. I had been exhausted.

"No!" she giggles, playing her own little game. I'm going to have to guess what story she'd like to listen to. I purse my lips as I pretend to think hard.

"Hm... Snow White and the Seven Dwarves?" I ask. She giggles again and shakes her head, clapping her hands in excitement.

"No!" I grin and lean down, kissing her forehead. I could be here for hours if I don't speed things up.

I catch her around her stomach and begin to tickle her, making her squeal and try to escape. I hold her close to me, but gently, as she tries to get away from me. I'm laughing, happier than I've been in days. She just has this effect on me; I can never stop smiling when she's around.

"Papa, please! You guess! No fair!" she says, her face red with laughter. I grin as I stop despite knowing she loves it just as much as I am.

"But El..." I whine, making her giggle, her teddy bear falling from her grip as she clambers up me, her arms wrapped around my neck. I put my arms around her little, round body to stop her from falling.

"Papa! I wants Hontas!" she calls, giving me a big kiss on my cheek.

I grin as I hoist her up on to my shoulders, making her howl with laughter. The film is actually Pocahontas but since Ella can't say that, she calls it Hontas now. It's incredibly adorable just like everything else about her.

"Silly Papa" she says, pounding her tiny fist into my head but it doesn't hurt. How can it when she's so small?

I swing her down back into my arms and she squeals again; she loves it when I do that. I hold her close to me and she grins, her nose touching mine.

"I love you El"

Xxx

**7 years old**

"Papa! Look at me!" I look over from my book and watch with a proud smile as Ella cycles down the small path. She's got a huge grin on her face, showing off the gap in her front teeth. Only she could make it look sweet.

"Look at you!" I crow back, clapping my hands as she shakily manoeuvres the bike. She begins to speed up just as she hits a stone. Her bike skids to a stop and to my horror, she's flung over the handlebars.

"Ella!" I call, running over to her. She's sitting up, slightly stunned, as she inspects her cut knee. I kneel down next to her, my eyes running over her for any serious injuries. None, thank god.

"I thought I had it this time" she says with a frown as I lift her into my arms. The bike's left in the path for now but we're in rural France; no one's around for miles.

"Don't worry, you'll get it one day" I reassure her as I carry her into the kitchen. I set her on the table as I get the first aid kit. I know I worry too much about her and am so protective but she's my little girl, no matter how old she'll be.

"But I want to be able to ride now! I bet other seven years old can!" she complains, a pout on her face as she swings her legs. I gently stop her right one, needing to clean it. I pull up a stool as I begin to work on her cut.

"You don't need to grow up too quickly now. You'll have plenty of time for that later" I say sadly as I gently put some antiseptic cream on her cut. She softly touches my face, a sweet smile on her face. I feel better at once.

"If you could, you'd lock me up here and fight in my place instead" she says, making me laugh. She knows me too well.

"That's what fathers do" I say, smoothing a plaster on her cut. She smiles as she reaches out her arms for a hug.

"And you're the best one in the world!" she says, holding me close. "But I've still got to master that bike"

Xxx

**9 years old**

"Do you know what that is, El?" I ask, looking at one of the most magnificent places in the world. Ella cocks her head to the left and bites her lip.

"No Papa" she says sweetly. I smile at her as I take her hand, uneasy about the huge crowds. I'm not worried about mogs; they don't know we exist. But I _am_ worried about the humans here since Ella is young and vulnerable. No matter how nice most humans are, they'll always be one or two bad ones.

"This is the Vatican City, home to the Pope who is the head of the Catholic Religion" I say in awe. Ella smiles as she appraises the magnificent courtyard and cathedral with the mighty dome. She doesn't seem as impressed as I am but then she doesn't know its importance.

"It's just a church" she says loudly, making a lot of people glare at her. I scowl back at them; nobody looks at _my_ Ella like that.

"Well, yes, I suppose, but it's very important to a lot of people. Don't say stuff like that since they don't like it" I say, lifting her up and into my arms so she's resting on my hip. Even at 9 years old, she's small and light and I can easily carry her.

"Sorry Papa" she says, kissing my cheek. We're not going inside since I don't like the idea of being trapped in there if there were an attack. I don't want to think about destroying a place like this.

"It's all right, El" I say as I begin to explain the basics about the church. She listens intently to my description until her eyes fall on an ice-cream stand. She seems more impressed by that than the church ahead of her.

"Papa?" she asks as I finally finish. I admit, I have a soft spot for the culture of humans. It's fascinating.

"Yes" I say as I shoulder my way through people. I'm intimidating enough that the occasional thieves in the crowd don't bother to pickpocket me.

"Are you religious?" she asks. I frown at the question; I've never really thought about it.

"There wasn't religion on Lorien" I say slowly. She shakes her head as she clings tighter to me; the crowd is getting thicker.

"But are _you?"_ she asks persistently. I smile and peck her cheek.

"No, I'm not. But I believe that religion provides a basis of comfort for many people around the world" I say. She nods, her face looking determined.

"I'm Catholic" she says. I look at her in amusement but don't laugh at her.

"Why?" I ask, gently poking her nose. She giggles and moves away with a smile.

"Because I came here! I visited the centre of Catholikisism... Catholism... Catholiclickism" she can't pronounce the word and this time I do laugh.

"Catholicism" I correct her. She nods happily.

"That's the one! I've visited the centre for Catholics!" she crows. I shake my head with a grin as we exit the crowd.

"Ella, visiting a church doesn't make you religious" I explain. She pouts and her fists clench. It's adorable.

"It doesn't?! That's silly. How else would you become a Catholic? " she asks, her face in a frown. I gently smooth out the lines and smile down at her.

"Because you believe in their teachings and what the Religion stands for" I explain in the simplest of terms. She's still frowning.

"But I want to be a Catholic!" she says. If she could stamp her foot, she would.

"Ok, Ella, as soon as we get home, we'll make you a Catholic" I say, playing along. She grins happily, which widens when she sees an ice-cream stand.

"Can I have an ice-cream?" she asks. I grin and decide to tease her.

"Catholics aren't allowed ice-creams" I say, pretending to be deadly serious. Her face freezes and then she stares at me in horror.

"Papa, I'm not a Catholic am I?" she asks. I grin and shake my head, making her sag in relief.

"No, because I'm going to get you one. But as soon as get home..." I say, teasing her. Her face freezes in horror again.

No matter how many times I said I was joking later on, she's never mentioned wanting to be a Catholic again.

Xxx

**11 years old**

I'm sitting at our meeting spot, waiting for her to come. She always takes her time but she says the Sisters are very strict and watch out for troublemakers a lot. As if my Ella would make any trouble.

"Papa!" I look up at the distressed call at once and then Ella hurls herself into my arms. She's sobbing as she clings to me and I hold her close at once, not sure what's wrong.

"El? What's wrong, El?" I ask her desperately as she sobs into my chest. She's too emotional to talk so I gently stroke her hair whilst she cries, rocking her in my arms. She's in her 7 year old form again despite being 11 really.

"They hurt me" she whispers as she pulls back, her face streaked with tears. I freeze at once and my grip on her tightens a little.

"What?!" my voice is hard and fast but she's not scared. She knows I'm not angry at her.

"I was laughing in Mass and they hurt me! They paddled me, Papa!" she wails, throwing herself back into my arms. Anger pounds through me but instinct makes me wrap my arms around Ella and hold her close.

"I'll make sure they never hurt you again" I say, my teeth clenched as she sobs in my arms. She nods and tearfully sniffles into my shoulder.

You don't hit a seven year old girl! What kind of people are they, to hurt and abuse young girls. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that Seven, or Marina as Ella calls her, has gone through the same thing, just like every girl at this orphanage. It's cruel and wrong and I wish I could do the same to those awful human beings.

I'll certainly make sure they never do it again.

"Hey El?" I ask as she starts to cheer up. She pulls away, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. I smooth down her hair since it has gone wild from her run here.

"I'll deal with them, I promise" I say, stroking her cheeks, her hair. She nods and then attempts a smile, reaching for my hand. She's shivering a little and I wrap a blanket around her; one I brought with me because I knew she'd get cold.

"I don't know what I'd do without you Papa" she whispers as she huddles against my chest, her small hands gripping mine. I push my anger aside for now as I hold her closer to me. We're a team, always have been, always will be.

Xxx

**On Lorien, 15 years later**

She's still my little girl

Years later, she's sitting next to me, crying into my shoulder. It's not over a paddling or a death, no, it's about a _boy_.

I never thought I'd get to this day. I think I feel more comfortable talking to her about the war.

"It's all right, El" I manage to say. "I can use my extensive gun collection on him" I offer. She chokes on a laugh as she pulls back with a smile.

"Oh Papa, you can't shoot everyone who upsets me" she says, making my heart warm at the word 'Papa'.

"I can" I say with a firm nod. She giggles and leans into me, wrapping her arms around my waist.

"Silly Papa" she says affectionately. I shrug and hold her close, stroking her hair back.

Apparently, this one was _the one_, just like all the others before him. I don't get it but then I suppose I'm not much of a romantic. Ella says part of the problem is that a lot of her boyfriends are scared by me.

I should probably stop threatening them.

"Don't worry, he wasn't worth it" I reassure her. "He didn't like me very much" I add. She giggles again and smiles at me, pulling back.

"None of them like you because you take them out for a 'man to man chat'!" She says. I shrug and she laughs again, shaking her head.

"I'm going to be single forever because of you!" she teases me with a grin. I smile and wipe away the tears from her damp cheeks.

"That's what fathers are for, to terrify their daughter's boyfriends" I say proudly. She shakes her head and then kisses me on the cheek, settling down next to me.

"I love you Papa" she whispers, clinging to my hand as she puts on Pocahontas with her telekinesis. I smile down at her proudly as I kiss her hair.

"I love you too, El"

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The last bit linked to my other story where Crayton comes back to life :D I hope you guys enjoyed!

The next one will be of the one-shot to Paris!

Please review!


	15. Paris

**Disclaimer: I don't own Lorien Legacies…**

**Hi guys!**

**Thank you all so much for the lovely reviews! I really appreciate every one of them.**

**This story is sort of taking the back seat at the moment since I'm not in the mood to write happy events but more intense, sadder ones for my other story, The Bond that never breaks. I will still continue this but updates will be a lot slower.**

**This is the follow on from Anniversary. Basically, Nine and Five visit famous places in the city. But they put their own twist to things...**

**So, hope you enjoy!**

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Five

"Holy shit" I whisper as I stare out at the skyline in front of me. The view is_ incredible_. The Eiffel Tower is very close to here, but far away enough that you can see the whole of it. I tip my head back to see the top.

"We'll have to visit that!" I call to Nine as I hear him unpack inside. The inside of our suite is just as good as the view. When the website said luxury, it really meant it. I didn't know it was possible to have gold taps but apparently, it is.

"What?" he calls back, still busy. I grip the rail of the balcony, leaning over a little to stare at the busy street below. It's early afternoon and I want to visit Paris, but if Nine gets his way, we won't be going anywhere except our bed.

"The Eiffel Tower" I call back, as I look at the balcony. There are a couple of sun loungers at the end and a small set of table and chairs next to me; it's a big balcony. But then the suite is just as big.

"Sounds good" he calls back. "Hey, why did you bring so many clothes?!" he adds. I grin as I continue to look around me, propping my elbows on the railing.

"Because I had no warning! I didn't have time to coordinate my outfits so I just brought loads instead!" I call back. I can hear him shake his head in amusement.

I turn away from the view as I go back into the suite, shaking_ my_ head in amazement. "Did we really need such a big suite?" I ask, running my hands over a beautifully decorated chair. Nine grins at me as he continues to put some stuff in the wardrobe. You could almost call him a domestic goddess.

"Most girls wouldn't complain" he says, holding up a pair of red jeans with a raised eyebrow. I simply smile at him and shrug; guys don't understand fashion.

Not that I do either, really. Marina and Six have pretty much sorted out my wardrobe and even then, I don't do such a great job.

"I was simply thinking about cost" I say, picking up a teacup with painted detail. I gently set is down again, worried I might break it.

"And yet, you're quite happy to live in the John Hancock Centre which is _not_ cheap" Nine retorts. I roll my eyes as I open the door to the bathroom, impressed yet again by everything. The bathtub is _huge_ and there are two sinks! Why do we need two sinks?!

Although with all of Nine's hair products, maybe it's not such a bad idea…

"Can we extend our trip?" I call back, making him laugh. He appears, leaning against the doorway with a smirk.

"I thought you were worried about cost" he says. I stick my tongue out at him as I go to the shower.

"Bloody hell, you can fit five people in here!" I mutter. "_And_ why do you need so many shower settings? You just need water, not water with rose scent" I complain. Nine shrugs with a grin, going over to the freebies by the sink.

"I've always liked free stuff" he says. I grin as I go over, taking another one.

"Do you think we'd get away with it if we pretended we bought these for the others?" I ask. He shakes his head, kissing my cheek.

"No and besides, we can pay for something" he says, pretending to be disapproving. I wander out again, still amazed with this suite.

"Can I get Eight a beret?" I ask as I wander back into the bedroom and lifting the empty suitcase off the bed. Nine laughs and looks at me curiously.

"Why?" he asks. I smile as I flop down onto the bed, exhausted after the flight. Maybe I could have a small sleep and then we could go out and explore Paris.

"Imagine him trying to put it on over his hair" I say, thinking of his mad curls. Nine laughs and drops down next to me, his hand finding mine automatically.

"So we're in a stunning hotel room, in the city of Love and all that shit and you're thinking of _Eight_?" he asks, sitting up and looking down at me.

"Jealous?" I ask, grinning cheekily. He laughs and bends down, leaning over me so our lips are almost touching and our bodies definitely _are_ touching.

"I bet I can make you forget everything but me" he whispers seductively, making my breath pick up. Before I can say anything, not that I will say anything at all intelligent, he pulls away with a smirk. I'm left staring up at him, probably looking stupid.

"Already have" he says triumphantly. I groan and roll over, hiding my face from him in a pillow.

"Tease" I accuse him. He laughs and I can imagine the smug look on his face.

"I thought you wanted to explore Paris" he says 'innocently'. Because two can play at this game, I roll over and get up in a smooth action. I smile at him as I reach for my bag.

"Sure, let's go if you're ready" I've barely made two steps before he grabs me around the waist, turns me around and kisses me deeply. Being the 'master' of self-control and resistance, I give in at once.

"On second thoughts, I liked my plan" he whispers against my lips.

"So did I" I reply before he bends down and kisses me again.

Paris is definitely not an option tonight.

Xxx

Eiffel Tower

"I think… I might… die" I gasp out, leaning exhausted against the wall. Nine is nearby, wiping some sweat from his forehead.

"You need better endurance" he says although he's not in much better shape than me. I narrow my eyes as I take a huge drink of water from my bottle.

"Next time, we pay extra and take the damn lift" I mutter, ignoring the indignant looks from other tourists about my language. Nine merely smirks as he goes over to the edge.

"Oh wow" he mutters looking out. "Damn Five, you've gotta see this!" he calls. I stumble over, grumbling about my poor legs. I don't think they'll work after this.

"Look at that" Nine whistles, pointing out the Paris skyline. I smile, pretty impressed by it all despite my pain. It's beautiful in the setting sun; Nine and I decided to come at night. I can see Notre Dame from here and the Arc de Triomphe.

"Wow, this is something" I whisper. Nine nods, looking out impressed.

"Imagine this being your view from your window" he says. I grin as I gratefully lean against the railing. My legs still hurt.

"We get this view but in Chicago" I say. Nine shrugs as he wraps an arm around my waist.

"Only you would find something to criticise about the Eiffel Tower, one of the most iconic places in the world" he teases. I grin and nudge him.

"Since when have you been a tour guide? And I wasn't criticising the Tower, just your statement" I retort. He grins and kisses my hair, his eyes still fixed on the view.

"Pretty special, huh?" he asks.

There are still loads of tourists around but this moment feels sweet, it feels special. Just the two of us in the setting sun on the Eiffel Tower with the whole of Paris stretched out in front of us. Nine's right; there's very little to criticise, if anything.

"Amazing" I whisper as we continue to watch the view. I know Nine will be taking pictures soon to put in our scrapbook. "But we still have to walk down those stairs" I say, shuddering in horror as I think of the climb up.

Nine groans and drops his head onto my shoulder.

"And that's how you ruin the mood"

Xxx

The Louvre

"I don't get the appeal about her, I really don't" Nine says, tipping his head to the side. "She's plain and looks bored"

We're in the Louvre and facing one of the most famous pieces in the world, the Mona Lisa yet Nine is acting like this is no big deal. Whereas I am practically kneeling on the ground in reverence.

"It's culture and art and beauty all in one" I say with a sigh. "There're so much symbolism and meaning" I say happily.

Nine snorts and stares at me with an eyebrow raised. "Symbolism? Meaning? Where?!" he demands. I smile as I look at the painting, too happy to care about his bad attitude.

Since we saved the planet and all that, us Loric get advantages. One of those, is being able to see the most famous painting in the whole world without any tourists. Sure, there are loads of security guards around but still.

It's just us and these beauties.

"Well, one side is darker than the other side and there's been theories that the Mona Lisa is a mix between male and female" I begin but Nine rolls his eyes.

"You have been reading _way_ too much DaVinci Code" he says, referring to the book by Dan Brown. "Next you'll be saying that there _is_ an heir to Jesus" he says. I shrug as I continue to admire the painting.

"Fine, let's find something you'll like" I say, looking wistfully at the painting one last time. Because we're allowed advantages, I was allowed some photos of me beside the picture. Nine thought I was an idiot.

"Look!" I say standing before another beauty, Madonna of the Rocks. "Isn't this magnificent?" I say in a breathless whisper. Nine crosses his arms as he studies the painting.

"She's kind of hot" he remarks. I spin around to face him.

"What?! How can you say that?! This is art, not porn!" I hiss. He's disrespecting Art! Nine chokes on a laugh as he puts his arm around my shoulder.

"I wasn't thinking of that. I just thought she had a nice face, that's all" he says, poking me to make me squirm. I pout back at him.

"You clearly do not understand art" I say. Nine shrugs as he leans down to kiss me.

"I always said I had no artistic qualities" he excuses himself. I smile happily as I study the picture.

"Can I take a picture of you with the painting?" I ask. He groans but obliges.

I think the effort Nine took to look utterly bored is more impressive than the painting itself.

Xxx

River Seine Tour

The water laps against the boat and I cling to Nine, deeply afraid. So what if I can swim, that was in a swimming pool. Moving water is a very different thing.

"You're not going to drown" Nine reassures me, taking a picture of Notre Dame as we pass it. Since it's religious and all that, I send a quick prayer up to God that if I live, I'll visit the Cathedral.

Which is a pretty pointless prayer seeing as that's one our schedule already.

"I might do. You can't tell" I say, shivering as a cold gust of wind travels along the deck. We're on one of those tour boats and it's pretty much open air. Which is lovely on a hot day but today, it's cloudier and colder.

"Don't be so pessimistic" Nine says, kissing my cheek. "This is fun" he says, taking a picture of me scowling. I glare at him and he takes another picture.

"There we go, Five sums up the day with one look" he says, grinning at the picture. I continue to huff in the corner, clinging to the side of the boat of course. It lurches a bit and I think I want to be sick.

"I hate you" I say to Nine. On top of all things, I feel seasick now.

And I'm not even on the sea!

He grins cheerfully back at me as he continues to take pictures of the view. Our new project is the scrapbook and we're both looking forward to starting on it when we go back to Chicago. "I love you too" he says happily.

I groan and dry heave as we go over another current. I didn't know I was travelsick. Or am I just terrified and that's making me sick?

"How about a steak after this? With chips?" Nine asks cheerfully. I can't help myself anymore and pull myself to my feet, throwing up over the edge of the boat. I can hear people exclaim in alarm as I continue to throw up over the boat and then someone's holding back my hair.

"Maybe no steak" Nine mutters, as he wraps his arm around me. Some crewmember is coming towards us, looking concerned. I feel completely humiliated as I'm handed a bucket and a travel sickness pill.

"Do you want to go out for lunch after this anyway?" Nine asks after five minutes when I don't throw up. Like always, he thinks I'll suddenly make a miraculous recovery after medicine. I glare at him and then feel the familiar nauseous feeling.

Although I'm his girlfriend and I love him, I did enjoy seeing his face when I threw up on his shoes.

Xxx

Notre Dame

"Do you believe in God?" Nine asks as we stand in front of one of the many beautiful windows in Notre Dame. I smile up at him as I link my hand in his.

"I don't know. Maybe" I reply. "What about you?" He shrugs and then smiles, looking peaceful.

"I think it's comforting to think there's someone up there to help you" he says. I smile and nod, my eyes still drawn to the beautiful colours in the window. It looks stunning with the light streaming through them.

"I think there are things about the Church that need to be changed though" I say. "Female bishops for one" I say. Nine smiles and rolls his eyes.

"Of course you would be on the feminist issue" he says but I know he agrees with me.

"There are so many things that makes it hard for woman. Abortions are evil yet the Catholic Church condemns contraception." I argue. Nine grins cheekily at me.

"Looks like we're screwed in that aspect" he says. I blush and look away.

"Trust you to say something like that after my intellectual argument" I say with a sniff. Nine laughs and then tries to become silent when a religious follower glares him at.

"Be respectful!" the woman hisses. I try not to laugh as Nine shrinks back, clearly not knowing what to say. We both nod and then dissolve into giggles when she turns away. She glares at us but doesn't say anything else.

"May God smite us" I joke. Nine laughs and we get some more vicious looks.

"What was that about God being forgiving? Because according to those people, we'll need it" he mutters.

Xxx

Jardin du Luxembourg

I lie on the grass, my eyes closed as the sun gently warms me up. I'm sleepy from the wine, cheese and bread I had for lunch, true French style. It was amazing to be the famous Jardin du Luxembourg with traditional French food.

We had walked around for an hour or so when we decided to have lunch on the edge of the large grass lawn. Nine had even brought a blanket, which made me laugh. The garden is beautiful with little fountains and the beautiful house in the distance.

"Are you asleep?" I slowly open my eyes to see Nine smiling down at me. I have my head in his lap as he gently strokes my hair. He's leaning against some trees, which helps shade us from the fierce sun.

"No, just closing my eyes" I reply. He smiles as he tenderly brushes my cheek.

"Well, I wouldn't fall asleep just yet… I have a surprise" I open my eyes and then laugh as he brings out a box. A cake box.

"What's the point of coming to France and not trying some cakes?" he asks, opening. I laugh again as I see a little assortment of éclairs, Tartes aux Fraises and Mille-feuille.

"Have I ever said what a good boyfriend you are?" I say, as I tuck into some sugary delightfulness. Nine laughs, kissing my cheek as he pulls me close. He's being quite affectionate today.

"Funny you say that when you have cake. I seem to remember you saying you hated me the other day" he says, taking a bit of his strawberry tart. He offers me some and I take a bite, smiling in happiness.

"You know I didn't mean that…shall we move here?" I ask dreamily, as I lean against him. "I can speak some French and you can learn" Nine laughs and kisses my head.

"We'd miss the others and anyway, it would take the appeal away" he says. I pout but shrug.

"We'll have to visit again" I say and he nods.

"Definitely. I also think we should visit other places" he says, choosing another cake. I steal a bit and he laughs, kissing my cheek. I grin smugly as I settle down with another éclair. It's not my fault that I'm addicted to chocolate.

"I'd like to go to London" I say happily. "Ride a red bus… go on the London Eye" I say. Nine laughs again. He's been laughing a lot more since the end of the war. It makes me a lot happier.

"I'd like to visit Germany and China and loads of other places" Nine murmurs, his arms tight around me. I'm tired again with a very full stomach so I snuggle deep into his arms.

"We should do that. Every year, we should go somewhere new" I say.

"Every year?" Nine asks doubtfully. "I doubt we'll be here for long enough to do more than two holidays. The Government said they're halfway done with our ship. I say every two months, we go on a holiday to somewhere new" he says. I smile and nod, very sleepy by now. We've had a hectic week which is why we decided to do something calm on our last day.

"Agreed, let's go to Germany next" I decide. "We can go during the winter and go to all those Christmas markets" I say excitedly. Nine grins and kisses my cheek.

"Deal… but now, do you want the last cake?" he asks, smiling gently at me.

I can't say no to cake.

Xxx

"The last morning" I say sadly as I stand on the balcony, a cup of coffee in my hands. "I can't believe it's over"

Nine yawns as he trudges up behind me, his arms wrapped around my waist as he rests his head on my shoulder.

"We can have loads more holidays" he reassures me. "And it'll be good to see the others" he says. I nod and then sigh, leaning back into him.

"I had such a good time though" I whine. Nine laughs and kisses my cheek.

"So did I. But we still have that scrapbook to do when we get back and then we can plan our holiday to Germany" he says. I grin and then nod, vaguely looking at my watch.

"We better get packing… our flight's in a couple of hours" I say. Nine grins and kisses me persuasively.

"We can do packing later" he suggests, pulling me closer to him. "After all, this _is_ the City of Love"

I don't even know what to say to that.

* * *

**Haha, I can just see Nine pulling that line on Five! **

**Hope you enjoyed this one-shot!**

**Please review!**


	16. Therapy

**Disclaimer: I don't own this series…**

**Hi guys!**

**Thank you all so much for the lovely lovely reviews! I love them and all my readers! Thank you!**

**Answers to reviews**

** - I will do a one-shot story for Marina and Eight called 'The Heart only loves once' but I will not publish it until I'm done with some of my other stories…**

** - I have no idea who I ship now! I love my Five/Nine, an older Ella/Nine, John/Sarah, Six/Sarah, Sam/Six… I have no idea anymore! – But I am a hardcore Navrina shipper! I love them!**

**Please read on!**

* * *

Therapy

Nine

"I can't believe this!"

Five is reading an email, her face screwed up in that hot way it does when she's furious. I raise an eyebrow at her but she's ignoring me, her eyes angrily reading the page.

"This is total shit!" she mutters. I slowly sit up in bed, seeing as she's clearly not interested in coming back for a little while.

"What is?" I ask with a grin, watching as she scowls and shuts the lid of the laptop way top forcefully. I wouldn't be surprised if she broke it.

"We have to go to counselling!" she announces. My mouth drops open and she nods.

"I know! Why the hell do we have to go?!" she rants, standing up and throwing her hands in the air. I frown as I lean back onto the bed, thinking hard.

"Who decided all this?" I ask levelly, hiding the annoyance in me. If it's Johnny, I'll kill him. I'm not having some doctor raking through my mind and deciding I'm mentally unstable.

I'm perfectly sane. Who wouldn't want to kill mogs and shoot guns for a hobby?

"The Government! Apparently we're all screwed up in the head because of the war and need help! I don't need any humans help!" she yells, putting her hands on her hips.

Normally I'd be seriously pissed off about this but when Five's angry, she's totally hot. So instead, I just sit back and admire her as she marches around the room, shouting about how angry she is.

"I don't know why you're smirking" she remarks, standing in front of me. "You're going first. Tomorrow at 9.00" she says with a grin.

"What?!" I yelp, sitting up and rushing over to the computer. I haven't gotten up so early in months. Usually I spend the morning lying in bed, trying to convince Five to stay there instead of getting a coffee.

Most of the time I succeed.

"That's not fair! Why am I at 9.00 and Johnny's later?!" I demand. Five laughs bitterly and then wraps her arms around me, resting her head on my chest.

"Now you're angry… about time" she murmurs. I kiss the top of her forehead, wrapping my arms around her too. She sighs as she looks up at me.

"We have no choice, do we?" I shake my head grimly but then smile.

"No… but it doesn't mean we can't make the counsellor's life hell" She grins up at me, the smile of a conspirator.

"I like your thinking…"

Xxx

I lounge in the chair, yawning as I glance at the clock. I'm surprisingly early for my session; even through I don't want to do this. Although, we all have a plan.

To be total nightmares in our sessions. So bad, we'll never have to return.

"Good morning" I look up and then grin slowly when I see the woman in front of me. She's about 30 but with wicked curves and a great chest. I let my eyes linger on there and I can see her blush. Thank god it's a hot woman.

Because trust me, being a total pervert wouldn't be easy with a middle-aged man.

"Hey gorgeous" I cringe inside at my own words. It just feels wrong, me flirting with someone that's not Five but I have to suck it up and deal with it. The woman blushes a deep red that matches her hair.

"Right, Nine, is it?" she asks. I nod slowly, making a show of eyeing her up again.

"It can be 'sexy' to you…" I say with a wink. Even I have to admit my words are horribly cheesy but hell, whatever it takes.

I don't want to ever have to get up at 9.00 again. It's not natural.

"Right, _Nine_, let's begin" she ignores me and I grimace a little. I'm going to have to try harder.

"I understand you have a traumatic life and being stressed can lead you to have many issues and personal problems. I'm here to help-" she begins and I grin, jumping in.

"Actually, I do need your help" I say. She smiles, probably thinking that I'm going to stop being a jerk.

As if.

"I'm a sex addict and I need your services" I say, dead 'seriously'. Her jaw drops and then she shuts it, only for her to gape again. She clears her throat and then looks down at her notebook, clearly flustered. Her cheeks are a permanent red.

"Well, we should address that first part of your statement" she begins, her voice breaking quite frequently. I think she's freaked out by me.

"Actually, I'd rather we 'undress' instead of 'address'" I say and she flushes again. I want to laugh, because this is really too funny.

"So, Nine, where shall we begin this session?" she tries to steer us in a different direction but I don't give her the satisfaction.

"Well, I'm open to full sex at once but we can always start slow… I'm said to have a magic tongue…"

Xxx

Five

I enter at 10.00 to see a red-faced, flustered therapist. And guessing by Nine's thumbs up when he left, he's certainly been doing his part well.

Hopefully not too well. After all, he _is_ my boyfriend.

"Good morning" the woman says, seeming relieved to see a girl enter the room. I roll my eyes, playing the part of bratty teenager well.

"It's a shitty morning actually!" I say, crossing my arms and raising an eyebrow at her. The woman smiles calmly, probably more used to brats that sexually needy pervs like Nine.

Honestly, I bet he didn't even have to act that hard.

"And why is that?" she asks, gesturing for me to sit. I huff really loudly and then go over to the chair, throwing myself down in it and crossing my arms. I even pop some gum in my mouth and start to chew.

"None of your business" I mutter. She smiles patronisingly again and then turns to the notes the Government gave her.

"So, Five. You were orphaned at ten years old when Christina was killed" she says softly. I roll my eyes at her, ignoring the flash of pain at Christina's name.

"Actually I was orphaned at two" I say in a horribly bratty voice. "Can't you read your notes?" I ask. She blushes and grits her teeth.

"I'm sorry, I didn't say that properly. Let me rephrase: you lost the woman who was like a mother to you when you were ten" she says. I glare at her, not faking my anger. I don't want strangers prying in my life!

"So?" I raise an eyebrow. "Some therapist you are, repeating my notes!"

Her nostrils flare as she tries to keep calm, trying to keep control of the situation. "How did you feel when she died?" she asks.

Seriously?

"Oh I was over the moon" I say sarcastically. "I held a party and invited Setrakus Ra over…I think my invite got lost in the post" I muse, looking at my nails. The woman, Claire her name is, takes a deep breath and clenches her hands.

"Clearly, the event upset you and made you turn into a recluse" she says. I turn slowly to her and raise an eyebrow.

"What did you just call me?" My voice is like ice.

She gulps.

Xxx

John

I creep slowly into the room, wincing when I see the therapist. Somehow I got the short straw in the group and have to be the terrified, PTSD patient.

"Good morning John. Coffee?" the woman's voice is soft and kind but I shriek, backing into the corner. I press my hands to my face.

"John?" I can hear her walk towards me and I scream again.

"Stay away!" I yelp. I feel totally pathetic but I really don't want to have to see a therapist. My personal therapy is spending time with the people who matter most; the Loric.

"John? Do you need me to get anyone?" she asks softly. I tentatively pull my hands away from my face and eye her warily.

"You're not going to hurt me?" I ask nervously. She shakes her head at once, watching me concerned.

"Of course not. I'm here to help you. My name's Claire" she says softly. I smile meekly, shrugging.

"Sorry… I just have to be careful, you know" I say with a sniff. She nods and then very carefully leads me to a seat. I feel bad because she's very nice but I really don't want to go to a therapist when there are people who would need it more.

I'm just wasting her time here.

"Why are you so careful?" she asks me, a pen poised over her notebook. I shrug and avoid eye contact, clenching my hands together. I am a good actor, I have to say.

Maybe I should look into the career…

"John?" Claire brings me back to reality and I blush.

"People hurt people. All the time" I admit. She shakes her head at once, taking my hand. I wince but stay where I am.

"That's not true. Am I hurting you? Did someone hurt you on the street as you came here?" she asks.

I look up at her with wide eyes and then shake my head slowly. She smiles, thinking she's getting somewhere when the door opens and her assistant comes in with a coffee.

I scream and run to the desk, hiding behind it with my hands held out.

"Stay away!" I shriek. I glare at them in fear. "Or I'll turn you into ash!" I grab a paperknife and hold it in front of me, shaking in terror. I try to fill my eyes with tears.

My therapist looks exhausted.

Xxx

Six

"So Six, how did it feel when you saw your Cepan killed in front of you?"

I glare at her and say nothing. Just like I planned.

"How did it feel when you killed your Cepan's murderer?"

Nothing. Just complete silence.

"How did it feel knowing that One, Two, Three had been killed?"

I yawn and look away, glancing out of the window.

"Six, are you listening to me?"

I raise an eyebrow at her and she sighs, moving onto her next question.

"How did it feel when you knew you were in love with John but he was with Sarah?"

I don't say a thing.

Xxx

Eight

Why do I have to be the mentally insane one? Why did I get the shortest straw out of all of them?

"So Eight? How did-" Claire begins but I hold my hand up, cocking my head to the side. I nod and bite my lip in concentration.

"Eight?" she asks me and I shush her before smiling happily.

"They trust you. You can proceed" I say with a goofy smile. Claire writes something down and then looks up at me in confusion, as if only just realising something.

"They?" she asks. I beam at her in delight.

"The voices! Can't you hear them?" I explain and then ask in a hushed tone. She stares at me wide-eyed, writes something down again and then shakes her head.

"V-voices?" she asks quietly. I grin and nod, happily swaying in my chair.

"My friends! They tell me who to trust and who not to and who's being nice and who's not!" I say in one big rush. Claire frowns and then leans forward on her desk, pursing her lips.

"And what are they saying now?" she asks, looking like she wants to make a run for it.

"They're saying…" I cock my head to the side again and then frown in concentration. I pretend to listen and then guffaw, clapping my hands as I burst out laughing.

"They think you're a fake therapist because you're too pretty!" I guffaw again, pretending to be embarrassed as I hide behind my hands.

"Silly voices!" I giggle, feeling like an absolute idiot. Thank god Nine can't see this.

"Eight?" her voice is low and very concerned now. "How long have you had voices?" she asks.

"Shhhhhh!" I whisper loudly and she jerks back, looking offended. I grin at her and then laugh. "Not you! The voices were loud!"

"How long?" she asks again. I get up and start to dance around the room, clapping my hands. This is actually kind of fun in a weird way. Claire watches me in horror and sadness.

"Ever since we won!" I say with a delighted whoop. "We won! We won! We won!"

I suddenly teleport over to her, leaning over her chair as she shrieks in shock. I grin at her.

"We won!" I teleport away as I begin to hum to myself, jumping up and down.

Claire presses a hand to her face.

Xxx

Marina

"I'm sorry Marina, I didn't mean to upset you" The woman pats my back as I bawl into a tissue. I make a choked cry as I shove her off, pretending to be inconsolable.

I had to be the one who has a mental breakdown. Things were going fine with me and Claire. We were getting on well and she seemed pretty thrilled to have me as her patient after the others but then I suddenly burst into tears when we talked about Adelina.

"I miss her so much!" I wail, blowing my nose in a loud honking noise. Claire winces as she passes me another one. I pretend to sob even harder, finding it easy to cry after a certain amount of time.

"I know, I know" Claire pats my back and I howl into my tissue, totally playing it up.

I throw myself down onto the sofa, pressing my face into a pillow as I pretend to so but really I'm laughing. This is so fun in a really bad way!

"Here's another tissue" Claire puts one next to my face and I rear up, wailing in sadness. She jumps back, staring at me in shock as I begin to pull at my hair.

"I hate her! I hate my life! I hate this room!" I scream, jumping up and kicking the chair. Claire walks back and stares at me as I begin to kick a pillow on the floor.

"I hate this pillow! It's horrible!" I wail, before bursting into tears and throwing myself down onto the sofa again. Claire goes to her desk; writing something down and I read her mind to see what she said.

Mental breakdown.

Well, at least I did my job well.

Xxx

Ella

"Wait! Don't sit there!"

Claire hovers about her seat, staring at me in confusion as I point at her seat.

"Carly's sitting there!" I say. Claire frowns and steps away, looking at her seat in fear.

"Carly?" she asks, her voice shaking. I nod and sit down on the floor, next to the chair. I stroke the air and giggle.

"My pet chimaera. She's very shy"

Oh and fake. But I won't mention that for obvious reasons.

"Chimaera. Imaginary chimaera" Claire stumbles over to another chair but I jump up with a yelp. I shake my head desperately.

"Cameron's there! And he's not imaginary! They're real!" I yelp. Claire moves again and I smile sadly.

"Don't step on Callie! She's right by your feet!" I call desperately. Claire turns white and stumbles.

"Callie's my favourite" I say, pretending to pick up Callie and stroking her 'fur'. "Callie the chimaera" I giggle as I kiss the air. "She's got a great sense of humour"

Claire's eyes roll back in her head and she faints.

Xxx

Nine

"Well on the good side, you went to your sessions" Henri says with a huge frown on his face. We're all sitting down in the lounge, looking sheepish as Henri lectures us.

"On the bad side, you're paying for Claire's own counselling fees" Henri says. I try not to burst out laughing.

"Oh come on! We weren't that bad!" I excuse. Henri raises his eyebrow and then pulls out a list.

"Ok then, let's see her own words: Nine is a sexually obsessed jerk, Five is a complete brat" I grin at my girlfriend proudly and she giggles.

"John is a nervous wreck waiting to combust, Six can't talk apparently, Eight hears voices, Marina suffers breakdowns almost every five minutes before cheering up again and Ella has ten imaginary chimaera" Henri finishes off the list and we all burst out laughing.

"Imaginary chimaera?!" I hoot with laughter at our youngest Garde's sheepish face. "Damn, girl!" I high-five her and she blushes.

"This isn't funny" Henri snaps, glaring at us all. "You've traumatised the poor woman!" he says. Five rolls her eyes as she snuggles more into me, her hair ticking my chin.

"Some therapist then" she snorts. Henri sends her a glare so vicious even I want to hide. Five looks away meekly so I kiss her forehead.

"So as punishment, you all have to attend more counselling sessions with another therapist" we all groan but I roll my eyes. I can just pull the same trick again.

"But this time" Henri continues. "I'll be there"

Well, _shit._

* * *

**Ok, honestly? I have no idea where that came from. I just sort of wrote that out when I was in a very good mood :D I hope it put you guys in a good mood too :D**

**Please review!**


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